Crook will chase her first victory of 2026 when Clint Lundholm’s consistent mare lines up in the feature Benchmark 82 Handicap over 1,200 metres at Dubbo on Monday.
The five-year-old has finished in the first two in four of her five starts since returning from a break, but has been unable to convert that form into a win. She last saluted with consecutive Benchmark 58 victories at Orange and Bathurst late in 2025.
Crook resumed with a strong second on heavy ground at Scone before filling the same position in the Cannonball at Warren. She was then beaten by only a long neck in a Benchmark 68 contest at Hawkesbury and held her own against metropolitan opposition at Canterbury.
Her latest appearance came in the Cup Sprint Prelude at Dubbo, where she charged home on a very heavy track and missed victory by a head after encountering a chequered passage.
Racing NSW previewer Neil Evans has selected Crook to win, noting that she has tactical speed, handles all conditions and has been given four weeks between runs. A fifth career victory would come at her 14th start and lift her winning strike rate to close to 40 per cent.
She faces a strong field headed by Crusader Kings, who is expected to start favourite after an impressive trial victory. The six-year-old Mudgee-trained gelding carries the top weight of 59kg, while Crook has been allotted 56.5kg and will be ridden by apprentice Zoe Hunt.
Crusader Kings’ trainer, Mark Jones, is using the race as an important test ahead of the $2 million Kosciuszko. The gelding was twice narrowly denied a place in the Country Championships final earlier this year, and a win at Dubbo would strengthen his claims before the race’s 14 winning slot holders are drawn.
Jones has also secured Aaron Bullock for the assignment, despite Crusader Kings drawing barrier nine. Zarizatycoon, the 2025 Central Districts Championships winner, and Wave Breaker, who also ran well in the Cup Sprint Prelude, add further depth to the contest.
The seven-race meeting will be staged on a Good 4 track, with the rail positioned three metres out from the 1,000-metre mark to the 400-metre mark and in the true position for the remainder of the circuit.
Monday’s fixture begins the build-up to Dubbo Gold Cup day on September 27, when the club is scheduled to host a ten-race programme carrying $555,000 in prize money.
