Clarry Conners believes Peter Robl will take little time to hit form in his return from a year-long ban and hopes it happens as soon as his first ride back.
Conners has thrown 40-year-old Robl straight into the city spotlight on two-year-old Diamond Start in the opening race at Canterbury on Saturday.
And the four-time Golden Slipper-winning trainer is confident Robl will make the right moves on the filly regardless of where the youngster finishes in the Australian Turf Club Handicap (1100m).
“It’s not a big field and she’s an on-pace runner that does nothing wrong,” Conners said.
“Peter has ridden her a few times on the track of a morning and knows her. I think it will come back to him pretty quickly.”
Robl was disqualified for a total of 12 months for betting on races through the TAB account of his wife and also giving false evidence at an initial inquiry last year.
Fellow rider Blake Shinn has also served a 12-month disqualification for his betting activities but complications with a leg injury sustained in a Melbourne Cup day fall last year have delayed his return.
Robl returned to trackwork at the start of last month and has been riding barrier trials in recent weeks ahead of his Canterbury comeback where he has two rides.
He also has five rides at Canberra on Sunday.
Conners has made sure Robl has been kept busy at trackwork to be ready for Saturday.
“He’s not heavy and he looks fit,” Conners said.
Lonhro filly Diamond Start is on the fourth line of TAB Sportsbet betting at $13 and is one of only two with race experience in Saturday’s event.
Canterbury was rated heavy on Thursday and Conners got to test the filly in trackwork earlier this week.
“We had the grass track on Tuesday morning and she handled the wet pretty good,” Conners said.
“Peter rode her and said she worked well and that she handled it, so that might be the case.
“She’s only a lightly-framed filly and sometimes those horses can get through it.”
Conners has been a long time Robl supporter and the jockey would love to notch his first winner since the ban for the Warwick Farm horseman.
“It would be an outstanding result if that could happen,” Robl said.
“He was the bloke that got me to come to Sydney four years ago, so it’s a privilege and an honour to have my first ride back for Clarry after the 12 months.
“And if it was to win, words can’t describe the satisfaction we’d all get out of that.”
AAP TURF
