Like Clockwork remains favourite for the Listed $125,000 Belmont Oaks (2000m) on Saturday and her task may have been made marginally easier with a scratching from a key rival.

The $2.45 market elect has been desperately unlucky in lead-up starts and will now have to see off one less threat from the Grant and Alana Williams camp after Esta Mirando was scratched on Thursday.

Nonetheless, the Williams camp will have solid resistance to Like Clockwork with both Ladies Pro ($2.65) and Think Pink Daze ($19).

Ladies Pro landed a breathtaking victory two starts ago over 1400m and then was a promising effort in the Belmont Guineas (1600m) a month later when going across the line beside Like Clockwork.

Think Pink Daze comes through lower-level races but showed some promise when third behind the re-opposing Effortlessly ($15) when they met in a 1600m contest two weeks ago.

Meanwhile, Bailey McDonough will have to watch Double Lou from the sidelines as his top pacer contests Saturday’s Group 1 $300,000 The Rising Sun (2138m) at Albion Park after the former WA trainer-driver was involved in a serious motor crash.

McDonough, 28, was riding an e-scooter after a function in Queensland earlier in the week when he was involved in a collision and suffered serious injuries, including facial and skull fractures.

Born and raised in WA, McDonough emerged as one of WA’s top young harness participants and won the 2019 James Brennan Memorial at Gloucester Park aboard Our Jimmy Johnstone before moving to Victoria around four years ago.

He later shifted to NSW and has established himself among the leading trainer-drivers at Menangle, already preparing Double Lou for Group 1 success in the Breeders Challenge last year.

James Herbertson, the country’s leading reinsman, will instead take this weekend’s steer.

The card also hosts the opening three heats of the Inter Dominion in which WA interests will be absorbed by the presence of Captain Ravishing ($34) in the second qualifying event.

Owned in WA, the entire was recently transferred to Lisa Lewis’ Victorian stables but will be still driven by gun junior Kylah Madden, who flies over to take the steer.

+ Australian sprinter Asfoora will run in the Group 3 Coral Charge (1014m) at England’s Sandown circuit on Saturday, which runs at 8:50pm WA time.

The three-time Group 1 winner has been strongly backed into $2.60 favouritism and trainer Henry Dwyer was anxious to give her another start before her traditional Goodwood raid in three weeks.

“No need for a break - she can go to Goodwood - but we can squeeze another one in between and given it’s the last season she’s going to be running, there’s probably no point leaving anything in the locker,” he said.