Kris Lees is not anticipating a winning Australian debut from Rio Perdido at Rosehill on Saturday but he is hoping for confirmation of his talent.
The French import will have his first local start in a 1500m benchmark 80 handicap.
It will be the shortest distance he has tackled in 13 starts with his three wins coming over 2100 and 2400 metres (twice).
Lees doesn’t expect to see the best of Rio Perdido until he gets up to a staying trip, and probably not until next campaign.
“He’s a very nice horse. For mine, he might just be another preparation away from fully acclimatising but he’s ready to go to the races,” Lees said.
“The 1500 is likely to be too short for him but I’d like to see him work to the line and give us a bit of a guide to the future.”
Brenton Avdulla has the mount on Rio Perdido, who arrived in Australia last spring and has been in work at Lees’ Newcastle base for three months.
He has had two barrier trials including a second over 900m at Newcastle when he surprised the stable with his early pace.
“We were expecting him to be back in his most recent trial but he showed really good gate speed and put himself there, although then they went very steady,” Lees said.
“It’s probably a bit upside down to how he will race. I imagine he will get back in his races.”
Lees has also nominated consistent mare Fine Bubbles for a 1400m benchmark 77 handicap and will decide later in the week if she backs up from a second at Canterbury last Friday night.
Under The Sun heads weights for the February Handicap (1400m) with 59kg, half a kilo more than Darley’s Limes who is set to return to Sydney after finishing runner-up at his past two starts in Listed grade in Melbourne.
The top weight is one of four Waterhouse-trained entries for the race along with Charing Cross and promising pair Ecuador and Vaquera.
Inglis Classic winner Peggy Jean is the headline nominee for the two-year-old handicap in which her Gerald Ryan-trained stablemate Heytherecharliegirl is scheduled to make her debut.
