John O’Shea and Tom Charlton are preparing for a busy weekend of racing, with a strong team set to line up across two states including a key contender for the Doomben 10,000 (1200m).

Leading their Scone contingent will be Strait Acer, a recent addition to the stable, who has been nominated for Friday’s Scone Cup (1600m).

The five-year-old caught attention with a strong finish when sixth in the Hawkesbury Gold Cup, giving the stable optimism that he is on the path back to form.

“He actually ran alright at Hawkesbury. He was wide and back and made up good ground considering,” Charlton said. “He is getting back towards form. It was a really encouraging run, he couldn’t have done much more.”

Strait Acer, a former placegetter in the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes and fourth in last year’s Golden Eagle, faces tough opposition in the Cup with 43 entries including Know Thyself, Amenable, Port Lockroy, and others.

Also on Saturday, O’Shea and Charlton plan to saddle up mares Countyourblessings and Captain Amelia in the Dark Jewel Classic (1400m). Both mares were unplaced at their most recent outings but have shown promise in the past.

“They’re both racing well without having been afforded much luck with barriers and luck in running,” Charlton noted.

Additional stable runners could include Good Banter and Getafix in benchmark company, while their promising filly Polymnia will continue her campaign in Brisbane targeting the Queensland Oaks (2200m) via The Roses.

“She was perhaps a little bit unlucky in the (Australasian) Oaks. She just didn’t get room when she needed it and while I have no idea if she would have beaten the winner, she would have finished a lot closer,” Charlton said.