Milligan will have three runners on the eight-event Manning Valley Race Club card and is particularly keen on the chances of Santatime in the second race, the TAB Maiden Plate over 1600 metres.

Don't wait for Christmas, or even Christmas in July, because if Santatime - currently quoted as a $5 chance with TAB Fixed Odds - wins and you're on-board it will make a nice little gift to yourself in late March.

The three-year-old gelding has had just the three career starts and has performed well each time without winning.

He has gone up in distance each time, from 1000 metres to 1200, then to 1400 and now 1600 and this trip looks the most suitable yet for him since he has been finishing off well in his races.

After resuming from a lengthy spell Santatime will be having his third run of this campaign and Milligan believes he is ready to strike.

And the trainer's judgement looks spot on at the moment after he produced That's Molly to win the Northern Country Championships Wild Card at the big odds of $41 at Scone last Friday.

"The track beat 'Molly' in the Country Championships qualifier at Tuncurry," Milligan said. "It was bottomless that day after all the rain and even though she has a good record on wet tracks she couldn't get through that.

"But she's been flying in her trackwork and I thought she'd run a massive race at Scone, which she did. We got $61 each-way, so it was a big day."

Milligan will combine with his new stable apprentice, Teighan Worsnop, for the first time when he saddles up Santatime.

"Teighan has come up from Albury to join us," Milligan said. "She's already ridden 38 winners and still claims 2kgs and I'm hoping to kick her off the right foot with a winner,'' Milligan said.

"Santatime is my best hope for Tuesday's meeting. He's going well in his work at home and the mile should suit him very nicely. He's been looking for that distance. It'll be a wet track, but that won't bother him.

"He's developing well and come next preparation I think he'll make a very nice horse, but we'd obviously like a win or two in the meantime and he can certainly win on Tuesday."

The Taree track rating had improved from a Heavy 9 over the weekend to a Heavy 8 on Monday, with further drying weather ahead of the meeting.

Milligan's other runners are King Cornelius ($16 with TAB Fixed Odds) in the Coopernook Hotel Class 1 Handicap over 1400 metres and Highland Raider ($26) in the Elsmere Pastoral Country Boosted Class 1 Handicap over 1250 metres.

"I expect them both to run well, but whatever they do on Tuesday they should improve on later in this campaign," he said.

COFFS Harbour trainer Sally Taylor says Egotistic has taken great improvement from her first-up run this campaign and is ready to perform strongly in the last race at Taree on Tuesday.

The three-year-old filly will be having her fifth career start in the Budgeree Holsteins Hannam Vale Bracelet F&M Benchmark 58 Handicap over 1000 metres.

She has drawn well in barrier five and apprentice Cobi Vitler's two-kilogram claim brings the weight she will carry down to 56.5kg.

Egotistic is a speed horse and after leading into the straight was still in front with 50 metres to go in an 800-metre race at Coffs Harbour on March 11 before being run over late to finish fourth.

"She knocked up towards the end in that race," Taylor said. "She's not a big horse, she'd be just scraping 15 hands tall, so we don't do a lot with her and she'll be much better off for that run.

"She's a very competitive horse that likes to run fast and my view is let fast horses be fast, so she'll be looking to lead and if that happens hopefully she can hang on.

"The Taree track should suit her. It's got a shorter straight than Coffs. And the two-kilogram claim will help."

Egotistic is rated a $9.50 chance with TAB Fixed Odds in a very open betting race. Topweight Soju Session is the $5.50 favourite.

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