Oseleta winning today would be a dream scenario. Photo / Trish Dunell

Racing today ●Rotorua gallops: First race 12.15pm. ●New Plymouth gallops: First race 12.30pm. ●Queensland harness: Biggest meeting of the year, with numerous Kiwi-owned horses chasing Group 1 races, first race 7.02pm.

Trainer Stephen Marsh has one milestone goal left for the season as he comes to the end of the best year of his training career.

And that means winning just over $30,000 with his horses in the next week, starting at Rotorua and New Plymouth today.

Marsh led the trainers' premiership at one stage this season before being overpowered by the equine might of Te Akau but racked up 100 wins in a season for the first time, as well as his 900th career success in New Zealand last week.

Marsh says he would love a couple more wins in the next week of winter racing to push him past $3 million in stakes. He sits $30,395 off, with $2,969,605 in New Zealand earnings this season.

"I think only Murray [Baker] and Andrew [Forsman] and the Te Akau trainers have done that before, so I'd love to get to $3 million, it's another milestone to tick off," says Marsh.

"We've had a great season and won a lot of races obviously, and heading forward, we have some really smart 2-year-olds to work with, so I think now we've reached the 100-win mark, I'd like to be consistent in reaching that level next season. But whether that means being in contention for the premiership, I'm not sure because the Te Akau machine is at a different level with numbers and stock."

Marsh suggests the 2-year-old race at Rotorua today is an obvious target in his quest for $3m, as he trains three of the seven starters.

"The best of ours will be Night Raider for sure, he's a nice horse and was a good second last start, so he's probably our best chance for the day," says Marsh. "I also rate Encierro, who's actually still in two races at Rotorua [races 4 and 6].

"He's in good form and usually we would have decided which race we were starting in, but we'll wait until the morning to see what's scratched.

"There are a couple of scratchings already in those races and some double acceptors, so we don't need to make that decision yet, but whichever one he starts in, he'll go well."

Marsh admits last Saturday's Ruakaka winner Oseleta starting in the Ōpunake Cup at New Plymouth is very much a throw at the stumps hoping for black type.

"It will be her third run in three weeks, and that isn't ideal; neither is what will probably be a track heavier than she really likes.

"But the breeding season is just around the corner and she will almost certainly head to stud, so this is a rare opportunity this late in her career to get some black type.

"That's the whole reason she's there, but it isn't an easy race, so I'm not sure what to expect there."

That raises the dream scenario for Marsh of Oseleta winning, keeping huge money owners China Horse Club happy and the winning stakes pushing him past the $3m mark all in one race.