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Veteran Townsville jockey Frank Edwards faces a nine-hour road trip in search of his third North Queensland Cup of the season on Saturday.
Frank Edwards will pilot the Ricky Ludwig-trained gelding Lord Of Light in the $15,300 Savannah Goldfields Einsaleigh Cup over 1620 metres of dirt track.
The pair have been successful in the Mareeba (2000 metres) and Cooktown (1709 metres) cups already this season and a first-up win over 1200 metres at Innisfail three weeks ago.
Edwards, 59, has been Lord Of Light's regular rider except when he can't make lighter than 57 kilograms.
He was successful on the four-year-old gelding at Townsville's Cluden Park earlier this season and is a classic example of the old axiom "have saddle, will travel."
Ludwig, 69, who moved to the Atherton Tableland from Beaudesert eight years ago, has set Lord Of Light on the trail of another cup at Mt Garnet next month and the rich Townsville Cup during the winter carnival in August.
Lord of Light had his colours lowered over 1400 metres second-up at Cairns on March 26 by the Roy Chillemi part-owned and trained Mystery 'N' Magic over 1400 metres.
Ludwig said Lord Of Light had worked well at Atherton since the run and would have his final workout on Wednesday morning.
"Einsaleigh is a four-and-a half trip from home for us and Frank faces another four hours plus from Townsville," he said.
"I believe some of the roads on the way up from here have been knocked about by the recent wet weather and there's a fair bit of gravel to traverse.
"But we'll be heading off mid-morning as the race won't be until late in the day.
"It might be a longer trip home if we don't win though."
Lord of Light has been alloted 60 kilograms below the Alex Maliff-trained Love On Sunday on 61.
Love On Sunday was a close second to Lord Of Light at Innisfail and followed with another close second to the Sharlee Hoffman-trained Sylvester over 1123 metres at Mareeba on March 18.
Maliff has not yet declared a jockey for the topweight who has been ridden by Nathan Day at his last two runs.
The Cup is the highlight of the five-race Einsaleigh program which is a popular Easter holiday excursion for hundreds of "locals" and visitors from southern Queensland and interstate.
