Trainer Grahame Begg always plans with precision, yet even the most careful strategies can sometimes falter.

Begg believed he had secured a strong advantage by engaging apprentice Logan Bates to ride Dirty Look in the Up & Coming Stars Series Final at Caulfield on Saturday.

Typically, a $300,000 event would prohibit claims by apprentice jockeys, but this Saturday’s Class 3 race permits them.

That said, Bates received a suspension at Caulfield last Saturday, sidelining both him and his 1.5kg allowance.

Finding available jockeys proved challenging amid the bustling Sydney Autumn Carnival and the emerging Adelaide Carnival.

Fortuitously, Begg managed to enlist Harry Coffey for Dirty Look on Saturday, with the duo having triumphed together before, especially aboard Nonconformist in the Group 2 Blamey Stakes at Flemington in 2023.

“I thought I had been very clever,” Begg said.

“I had Logan Bates booked to ride her, and it was a claiming race.

“People probably didn’t take much notice of that, and she would have got in with 53-½ (kilos) on her back, but he got suspended last Saturday, so that put an end to it.”

Dirty Look enters her fourth career outing on Saturday, facing more seasoned competitors.

The filly claimed her maiden victory at Sandown on March 11 before placing second there again on March 25.

“We’re very happy with how she has progressed,” Begg said.

“It’s the fourth start of her preparation and after she runs on Saturday, she’ll be going for a break.

“She’s done everything we have asked her to do. She ran very well at her last start on the Sandown Lakeside course, where she drew out and got back, but she hit the line very well in what was a very much leader dominated race.

“She’s been learning her craft, and she looks quite handy and we’re certainly looking forward to Saturday.”

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