Three chances are better than one but for trainer Barry Baldwin a dead-heat between Simplest and Nericon King would be a fitting result at Doomben.Simplest and Nericon King will clash in Saturday's Open Handicap after a wet track forced both sprinters to be scratched from Monday's Australia Day meeting at Doomben.Baldwin's third hope in the 1010-metre sprint is Vive Le Roi but he doubts the six-year-old has the same class as his stablemates.Simplest and Nericon King have been nominated for the G

Three chances are better than one but for trainer Barry Baldwin a dead-heat between Simplest and Nericon King would be a fitting result at Doomben.

Simplest and Nericon King will clash in Saturday's Open Handicap after a wet track forced both sprinters to be scratched from Monday's Australia Day meeting at Doomben.

Baldwin's third hope in the 1010-metre sprint is Vive Le Roi but he doubts the six-year-old has the same class as his stablemates.

Simplest and Nericon King have been nominated for the Group One Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Flemington in March along with stable star Burdekin Blues who will start in Sydney ahead of his Melbourne campaign.

Baldwin rates Burdekin Blues, who strolled to a six-length win for jockey Larry Cassidy at Eagle Farm last week, as the superior sprinter but rival hoop Shane Scriven thinks otherwise.

"Shane has always thought Simplest is better than Burdekin Blues but I don't," Baldwin said.

"Larry Cassidy won on Burdekin Blues last week and is riding Simplest this week so we'll all probably have a better idea after Saturday."

Simplest earned a trip to Sydney last spring after recording six straight wins in Brisbane but could manage only fourth in the Group Two The Shorts (1100m) at Randwick and 10th in the Listed Lightning Handicap (1100m) at Randwick in October.

Baldwin has decided to claim three kilograms on Nericon King by booking talented apprentice Michael Hellyer for the four-year-old.

"Nericon King bled at the Gold Coast last year and no-one knows how good he is yet," Baldwin said.

"I've got a big opinion of him and he's only slightly inferior to Burdekin Blues.

"At the weights it's going to be very interesting as Nericon King gets seven kilos off Simplest."

Baldwin hopes to finalise plans for Simplest and Nericon King after they clash and hasn't ruled out sending them both interstate as travelling companions for Burdekin Blues.

"Simplest has enough prizemoney to get into the Newmarket now and that's why I'm taking Burdekin Blues to Sydney in the hope he can win some more prizemoney and sneak into the Newmarket through the back door," Baldwin said.

Nericon King has won more than $100,000 in prizemoney from his four wins in six starts.

At his latest outing the son of Mr. Henrysee scored decisively over 1000 metres in Class Six grade at Eagle Farm on Boxing Day.

It was his first run since he bled and finished last to Sydney sprinter El Cambio in the Group Three Gold Coast Guineas (1200m) last May.