The New Zealand Derby conqueror Willydoit aims to secure Australian Cup credentials lining up at Flemington.
Both Willydoit and fellow stable runner Holymanz will feature in Saturday’s Group 2 Blamey Stakes (1600m), each hoping to advance their autumn campaigns further.
Willydoit‘s second spell with Ciaron Maher has not yet produced the spark from his Group 1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) conquest at Ellerslie last March.
National assistant trainer Jack Turnbull for Maher revealed key learnings on the gelding now aged four, drawn from his spring Sydney races.
On February 7 at Caulfield, Willydoit resumed and trailed all but one in the MRC Foundation Cup (1600m), resulting in blinkers returning as he was seen as ‘little plain’ initially.
“When the race was run the way it was, it was brutally run, and with a horse like Light Infantry Man winning it, sitting second, it says a lot about the race shape,” Turnbull said.
“For him, who was back, no headgear, floating along, he just never got involved.
“His splits late were positive enough, but he should have done something because he did nothing for the first three-quarters.
“He’s had a couple of good gallops, he gets on the bigger track, the mile again, headgear on, there’s a lot more going his way this week.”
Turnbull highlighted Willydoit as a premier staying three-year-old via fourth in the Australian Derby (2400m) at Randwick previous autumn, shifting to spring majors as a four-year-old.
Among them, ninth in The Golden Eagle after seventh in Alan Brown Stakes.
“He was a dominant staying three-year-old, but he’s not slow, so coming to Sydney last campaign, with the weights, we were willing to try him in the big features which didn’t work,” Turnbull said.
“A prep on, we know a bit more about him and I think 2000 (metres) will be his go.
“The Australian Cup is on the plan, but if he was not to fire at that class and weight scale, then there are races like the Mornington Cup, but we’ll just see, but his main early aim, after this run, is the Australian Cup.”
Turnbull praised Holymanz as an ‘old marvel’, who after resting, took third in the recent MRC Foundation Cup.
“We could have gone to the All-Star Mile (next Saturday), but we’ve decided on the softer option to get him to be winning again,” Turnbull said.
“It’s not a race that’s out of his reach and if he can run up to his last run, he’ll be right up there again.”
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