This Saturday, Gosford will host a stand-alone metropolitan meeting, and trainer Peter Snowden is optimistic that it will be a springboard for Xidaki’s winter campaign.
The four-year-old gelding will line up in the Listed Takeover Target Stakes (1200m), coming off a first-up effort in the Hall Mark Stakes (1200m) where he finished within three lengths of Mazu at Randwick.
“He will run in the Takeover Target and then we’ll hopefully go to Brisbane with him,” Snowden said.
“He got back too far first-up but he had a good blow and he wasn’t beaten too far.
“He closed off nicely and he will be better next up at Gosford.”
Last year, Xidaki showed his ability up north by capturing the Group 3 Winx Guineas (1600m) at the Sunshine Coast, and Snowden hopes a return visit to Queensland will be just as fruitful.
Snowden is also aiming Media World, his Hawkesbury Guineas (1400m) winner, at the Fred Best Classic (1400m) before potentially targeting the Stradbroke Handicap.
Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou, who narrowly missed with Just Party in the Hawkesbury Guineas, will look to bounce back with Sequista in the 2YO Handicap (1200m) at Gosford.
The filly has shown promise in her short career, including a fourth-place effort in the Percy Sykes Stakes (1200m) at Randwick.
The team chose to sidestep a 1100m race at Randwick recently, which their colt Grand Eagle went on to win, instead opting to stretch Sequista out over more ground.
“We wanted to get her out a step further than the 1100 metres and she will probably go to Gosford,” Ryan said.
Chrysaor used the same race to launch a path to the BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes two years ago, and that same route could be on the cards for Sequista—if she earns it.
“There are some fillies races up there but we don’t want to get too far in front of ourselves,” he said.
“If she doesn’t win or run very well her next start then it’s a waste of time going to Queensland and you just hang around here.”