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Tolga trainer Sharlee Hoffman is hopeful of upstaging rival trainer John Manzelmann to clinch a Country Stampede Final berth with Phantom Spirit at Cooktown on Saturday.
Phantom Spirit is aiming to extend his winning sequence to four when the gelding tackles the Country Stampede Qualifier over 1000 metres.
John Manzelmann has two starters fighting for a Brisbane trip with Tiger Legend and Gossip Torque.
The $105,000 Country Stampede Final will be run over 1110 metres at Doomben on December 2.
Sharlee Hoffman will confer with Phantom Spirit's large ownership group if he wins the Country Stampede qualifier to decide if the six-year-old makes the trip to Brisbane.
Owner Shaun Flanagan put the syndicate together after securing him from the Sunshine Coast trainer Belinda Mair.
"We haven't spoken about the Final in Brisbane but if he wins we'll need to talk to decide if he goes down," Hoffman said.
Hoffman has only had a few Brisbane starters.
Former handy stayer Maquereau of Hoffman's finished fifth in the Country Cups Challenge Final in 2020.
Phantom Spirit has won seven times in a career spanning 31 starts.
A total of five of those have been with Hoffman who has only saddled him seven times.
The son of Spirit Of Boom completed a hat-trick of wins when he scored as dominant victory over 1000 metres at Home Hill in the middle of October.
Phantom Spirit made a great start in North Queensland winning his first two starts at Townsville but blotted his copybook beating one home in a 1200 metre Class 4 Handicap at Cluden Park in April.
Hoffman thought Phantom Spirit had been looking for the paddock at the time of his first defeat in North Queensland and he was turned out for a spell.
In his latest campaign, Phantom Spirit started off with a placing in a 950 metre Class Four Handicap at Cairns in August before returning to form with a narrow win in a 950 metre Class Six Plate at Cannon Park in September.
Phantom Spirit then was successful in a Benchmark race at Townsville in September again before his latest Home Hill victory.
"He won well at Home Hill and the Cooktown track is very similar," Hoffman said.
"The weather has been pretty good and it's not as hot as normal so he should handle the track.
"He's not a real big horse but he's a real fighter and I've got the best jockey (Lacey Morrison) on him again."
Hoffman rarely travels to Cooktown but has a perfect strike rate.
"I've got a 100 per cent strike rate at Cooktown after I took three runners up a few years ago," she said.
"I also won the Cooktown Cup (in 2015) with Gundy Star."
