By Craig Kerry
Warwick Farm trainer Marc Conners is keen to see how stable flag bearer Willaidow measures up to stakes grade at Rosehill on Saturday when he returns off two sharp trials.
And after riding the six-year-old in one of those hit-outs, Tyler Schiller is confident the strong competitor will race well in the group 3 Southern Cross Stakes (1200m).
Willaidow wins the last race on Everest day at Randwick on October 19.Credit: Getty Images
In 16 starts, Willaidow has won seven times, including his past two in the spring at benchmark 88 level over 1400m in Sydney.
Conners now wants to test the Shamus Award gelding at a higher level ahead of the autumn carnival, and he is pleased with two winning trials at home and gate one on Saturday.
“Everything the horse has done is a sign he’s come back in good order, so we go there tomorrow with a nice barrier and I think he’ll run well,” Conners said.
“He’s gone through his grades last preparation, and we looked for a nice kick-off point for him and this fitted in well. There’s so many races for him over the autumn carnival in Sydney and in Melbourne, so it’s just about getting a line on where we sit.
“It looks a nice race on paper. There are a few up-and-coming horses in the race, similar to him. They are probably going to have a bit of fitness on us but, hopefully, we can stave them off towards the finish.
“We go out there with the intention to go forward.”
Top jockey James McDonald is a fan of Willaidow, riding him in his past five starts, but Schiller gets the chance on Saturday at just 54 kilograms.
“He’s been coming through the grades and been a strong horse, so I’m pretty excited to see what he can do down in the weights in stakes grade,” Schiller said.
He was impressed when he tried to give Willaidow a quiet first-up trial on January 3.
“Marc just wanted him to have a nice time out, but he’s too competitive to just do nothing,” Schiller said.
“He jumped sharp, travelled strong and when those horses joined him, he wasn’t going to let them past him, whether I wanted him to ease back or not. He’s definitely a competitor, and I’d be pretty confident he’ll run well.”
Willaidow is a $4.20 second elect with Sportsbet behind the Joe Pride-trained Accredited ($3.20), which is going for four consecutive wins. McDonald, who stood down from rides at Canterbury on Friday night due to illness, is down to partner Jason Deamer’s Hard To Say ($6) at 58kg.
Schiller rides the Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou-trained chances Blitzburg ($3.60) and In Limbo ($7.50) in the 1100m group 3s for two-year-olds, the Canonbury and Widden stakes.
In Limbo was third in the Magic Millions Debut last start on the Gold Coast.
“I thought she was pretty good on a track where it was hard to make up ground,” he said.
“She made up a lot of ground late, and off her trials, it looks like she’s got some early pace as well, so it will be interesting to see if she settles a bit closer.”
A winner on debut at Newcastle, Blitzburg was fifth in the Wyong Magic Millions, then third last start at Eagle Farm.
“I galloped him this week, and he did a good job,” Schiller said. “He’s not very big, but he’s got a big motor and he feels like he tries hard.
“The barrier [two] probably helps. We can jump positively and if he leads, he’ll put in a good effort. I just don’t know if he’s got the pace to lead.”
He believed Lilac, in the fifth for Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald, was another good chance on the card.
“She was well performed last prep and gets in with a good enough barrier that I think she can roll forward and put herself among the first few,” he said.
