Peter Snowden, a proud native of Scone, is once again lending his support to the town’s renowned two-day racing carnival, where he will saddle up six runners across the program.

Leading his charge in the Listed Woodlands Stakes (1100m) are promising two-year-olds Akaysha and Miss Freelove, both sitting near the top of the betting market behind the race favourite Stardom.

Akaysha brings compelling credentials into the race, having narrowly defeated her stablemate Beadman on debut last month. That performance gained extra merit when Beadman returned last weekend to demolish rivals with an eight-length triumph in the Group 3 Ken Russell Memorial (1200m) at the Gold Coast.

In her second outing, Akaysha was narrowly beaten by the talented Grand Eagle over the same distance at Randwick.

“Talk about good form,” Snowden said.

“She beat Beadman and only got beaten narrowly last start right on the line so it’s great form going into this race.”

Although drawn wide in barrier 13, Snowden remains unconcerned about her position at the start.

“One thing about the 1100 metre start there is it’s a really long run to the first corner so barriers aren’t quite so important as against a track that is really tight and turning,” Snowden said.

“I’m not too worried about where she is drawn.”

Miss Freelove comes into the same race after following a debut placing with a front-running win at Canterbury and has impressed the stable in her work since.

Snowden sees little separating his two fillies and is hopeful one can join past winners such as Libertini (2019), In Secret (2022), and Lazzura (2024) on the honour board.

“She ran a good race first-up at Warwick Farm and won easily at Canterbury her next start so she is going up there in good form as well,” he said.

“Luck in running will determine the difference, there’s not much between them. Hopefully one of them is good enough to get up.”

Snowden’s broader team for the Scone meeting includes Ka Bling in the Luskin Star Stakes (1300m), Fire Star in the Ortensia Stakes (1100m), and Wave Breaker contesting the Denise’s Joy Stakes (1100m).

Wave Breaker is part-owned by Australian Turf Club Director Annette English and her partner Daniel Morgan, both originally from Scone, adding a local flavour to her campaign.

“They come from Scone so they are really keen to see her run well. Hopefully she can for them,” Snowden said.

“She is going great. It was a great run first-up against older horses and I gave her a trial the other day to keep her up to the mark. It was a good trial. She is going up there in really good order.”

For punters looking to bet on the Woodlands Stakes or any other Scone features, check out the best available options via Australia’s top betting sites.