DESPITE her name, connections will be hoping there are no excuses for Thisexcusebetterbeit on Friday night when she takes on a 10-horse-field in the Bathurst Harness Racing Club's Oberon Cup (1,730 metres).
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Beginning from barrier two on the second line, the five-year-old mare is poised to get a nice run through at the start behind speedy beginner Mister Haywood.
"I like her chances on Friday," Parkes trainer Brett Hutchings said.
"There looks to be good speed in the race and she's working well at home and seems happy."
Since relocating to the Hutchings stable, Thisexcusebetterbeit has had five starts for two wins and two seconds. Her new trainer hopes to make it a hat-trick come Friday night at the Bathurst Paceway.
Her first win for the stable came at Bathurst in December last year, where the Bettors Delight mare notched up a personal best mile rate of 1:55.5 for the 1,730m event.
Driven by concession driver Ashley Hart on that occasion, she began from the same barrier that she has come up with in Friday night's cup.
Landing three-back on the fence early on, Hart was able to work her way into clear running, arriving just in time to score by a narrow short-half-head margin.
Her second win at Parkes came with Hutchings in sulky.
After finding the leader's back at the start, Thisexcusebetterbeit once again unleashed a winning sprint when in the clear to beat her rivals by a half-head margin.
In the Oberon Cup, The Lagoon driver Emma Turnbull will take the reins as the mare chases a third consecutive win.
"She likes the girl drivers I think," Hutchings said.
"She seems to go well for them as she doesn't like to be driven too aggressively or with vigour."
Although being driven quietly in her last few starts, with the help of an advantageous draw on Friday night, Turnbull will have options.
"She is very versatile," Hutchings said.
"She can do work if she has too, as she did in her wins down in South Australia before we got her."
After Friday, Hutchings will look at giving the mare her shot in metropolitan company, with plans to head down to Menangle.
"All going well, I'd like to give her a run or two in Sydney," he said.
The Parkes-based mare will be the only visiting runner in the event, with the rest of the field being made up by horses who call the Bathurst Paceway their home track.
Oberon's Wayne Watterson will have seven-year-old Rockn And Rolln going around without hopples for the first time in a race, after successfully completing two trials free-legging.
The Oberon night will kick off at 6.07pm with the feature at 9.03pm.
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