KEY POINTS:
Owners of several horses will be even more nervous than usual at Oamaru tomorrow with several pacers and trotters still in with a shot of making the Harness Jewels on Queen's Birthday weekend.
The inaugural Jewels event, which brings together the best standardbreds in the country up to age four at Ashburton early next month, has captured the industry's imagination, with more juvenile horses in work and at the races.
The qualification period ends after Oamaru tomorrow, with the top-12 horses on money earned over the season, plus one emergency, in each of the nine categories invited to Ashburton.
Yaldhurst trainer Mark Purdon already has five young charges assured of starting spots on June 2 - Ohoka Arizona, Fiery Falcon and Steve McQueen in the 2-year-old boys' race, Top Tempo in the 3-year-old fillies pace and Petite Sunrise in the 2-year-old trot - but could add two more if races panned out tomorrow.
Two-year-old trotter Doctor Mickey is the better of those two chances, according to Purdon. His other representative on the cusp of Jewels qualification, Lucasta Midfrew, will need some luck, despite running second in her only start so far.
