Wayne Vassallo doesn’t think numbers will be enough against the might of straight track supremos Unleash Collinda and Maybe Yesterday in Sunday’s Group 2 Sportsbet Healesville Cup heats (350m).

Vassallo and partner Karen Pitt have three last start winners engaged in the Cup heats; 2022 G2 Ballarat Cup hero Compliance (heat 5, box 4), lightly-raced I’m Only Human (heat 2, box 8), and Die Hard (heat 3, box 4).

I’m Only Human and Die Hard face the daunting, perhaps impossible, task of upsetting Unleash Collinda and Maybe Yesterday, which ran the quinella in last Saturday’s G3 National Straight Track Championship, in their respective heats.

“Unleash Collinda is unbeatable at Healesville, and you probably can’t beat Maybe Yesterday either,” Vassallo conceded.

“The way it’s worked out for our dogs, Compliance is in the most winnable race, but he probably goes the worst of the three up the straight.”

“Unleash Collinda is unbeatable at Healesville, and you probably can’t beat Maybe Yesterday either.”

I’m Only Human, a December ’20 son of Invictus Rapid and Shoot To Miss, has won six of his nine starts, scoring twice over 300m at Healesville since returning from a serious tendon injury.

I’m Only Human was impressive in a dominant Best Of Day 16.54sec victory in a Restricted Win Final last Saturday but has been thrown in the deep end against dual track record holder Unleash Collinda.

Unleash Collinda (box 4), trained by two-time Healesville Cup winner Jason Thompson, is $1.22 favourite with Sportsbet, with I’m Only Human the $7.50 second elect.

“I’m Only Human goes quite well, but he tore a stopper tendon at Ballarat in March and had it operated on,” Vassallo explained.

“He went pretty well last week, but he’s probably out of his depth on Sunday.

WATCH: “He exploded home to win it!” I’M ONLY HUMAN (B8) earned a crack at Sunday’s G2 Healesville Cup heats with a “red hot” 16.54sec BOD victory over 300m last Saturday.

“I was thinking about putting him in a Grade 5, but I thought he might as well have a crack at it.

“He’s never had a 350m at Healesville, so I’m not sure how he’ll handle it, and you’re really running for a place against Unleash Collinda.”

Die Hard, a January ’21 son of Bernardo and Veetee Saharrah, also won at Healesville last Saturday, clocking 19.22sec over the 350m Cup course.

Runner-up in the G3 Country Championship at The Meadows on Australian Cup night, Die Hard is an $8.50 chance in heat three, where the market is dominated by Maybe Yesterday (box 7) at $1.60 and Cybertruck (box 8) $3.20.

Compliance will be in pursuit of a second country cup crown, after his heroics at Ballarat last April, when he makes just his eighth appearance for 2023 in the last of five heats.

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The son of Black Magic Opal and Flowing, which turns four in November, is having his second start at Healesville, having run fifth to eventual winner Sacred Stance in last year’s Cup heats, after which he was also sidelined for six months.

Compliance is the most fancied of the Pitt/Vassallo trio in heat markets, occupying the third line of betting at $4.80, behind joint $3.70 favourites That’s Ivy’s (box 1) and Gunai Bold (box 6), with Idolize (box 8) at $3.80.

“Compliance had almost exactly the same injury as I’m Only Human,” Vassallo explained.

“It’s hard to say he’s going as well now as when he won the Ballarat Cup, but he is actually going really well.

“He won his last start at Warragul, and went pretty well, but had a small hiccup afterwards.

“He’s never trialled good up at Healesville – on his times up there he couldn’t win. He’s more of a competitor, so I’m just hopeful he’ll run well, but going up the straight is definitely a question mark with him.

“It’s a bit of a last minute thing with all three. We weren’t planning it two or three weeks ago, but it just happens the race is on, and we don’t have any great expectations. We’ll be happy if they run a place.”

The expected dominance of Unleash Collinda and Maybe Yesterday is reflected in ‘All In’ betting, with the heavyweights $2.90 and $3.80, respectively.

I’m Only Human is the most fancied of the Pitt/Vassallo trio at $17, with Compliance $26 and Die Hard $81.

The first of Sunday’s five heats is race 2 at 11.15am.

Healesville Cup contender I’M ONLY HUMAN is unbeaten in two starts up the straight. 📷 Jason McKeown