Apprentices Matt McGuren and Justin Wood hope to upstage some of their senior counterparts to become major players at Doomben on Saturday.McGuren, a former professional bull rider, has five rides with two for the powerful Patinack Farm stable headed by Sydney trainer John Thompson.Wood, who is on the comeback trail from injury, has three rides including the Bryan Guy-trained Shuffle The Cash in the Mark Timms, The Good Guys Ipswich Handicap (1350m) and Catch The Light in the Dale Roche, The Good

Apprentices Matt McGuren and Justin Wood hope to upstage some of their senior counterparts to become major players at Doomben on Saturday.

McGuren, a former professional bull rider, has five rides with two for the powerful Patinack Farm stable headed by Sydney trainer John Thompson.

Wood, who is on the comeback trail from injury, has three rides including the Bryan Guy-trained Shuffle The Cash in the Mark Timms, The Good Guys Ipswich Handicap (1350m) and Catch The Light in the Dale Roche, The Good Guys Morayfield Handicap (1350m).

While Brisbane's riding ranks have never been stronger with Grant Cooksley's recent arrival and South African Jeff Lloyd set to start a new career on the Gold Coast in May, the apprentice ranks have also improved in quality.

Apart from Wood and McGuren, the recent arrival of Kiwi apprentices Maija Vance and Ryan Hurdle have boosted the apprentice ranks, led by Patinack Farm's stable rider, apprentice Tim Bell.

McGuren put his hand up to ride more regularly for Patinack Farm after winning for the first time for the stable aboard Boys On Tour at Eagle Farm last Saturday.

It was the fourth metropolitan win for the 21-year-old.

The NSW country apprentice is indentured to Grafton trainer Alan Ryan but is currently on loan to Taree trainer Ross Stitt and plans to ride as often as possible in Brisbane.

McGuren's two rides for Patinack Farm are Wonderful Jester in the Lachlan Akers, The Good Guys Carseldine Handicap (1350m) and Shamardashing in the Francie Vincent, The Good Guys Mt. Gravatt Handicap (2050m).

He also rides the Les Kelly-trained stablemates Santo De Lago in the James Brockhurst, The Good Guys Capalaba Plate (1630m) and Show Me An Ace in the Dale Roche, The Good Guys Morayfield Handicap (1350m) as well as the Noel Doyle-trained Celtic Dancer in the Tate Mason, The Good Guys Oxley Handicap (1110m).

Wonderful Jester has been placed at his only three starts including a narrow defeat by Holey Gadoley at Doomben on March 10 while wet tracker Shamardashing was a luckless third to Contract Caterer the same day.

Wood is hoping his luck can continue after landing his first metropolitan winner following a long injury layoff aboard Dansonate at Eagle Farm last Saturday.

The 20-year-old suffered serious injuries in a race fall at Rockhampton in May last year and only recently returned to riding.

He suffered two vertebrae factures, a punctured lung, two broken ribs and a lacerated kidney in the fall.

"It was a pretty serious fall but I'm feeling enormous and really strong now," Wood said.