The Brisbane winter carnival credentials of promising youngster Toydini will be put to the test at Randwick next Sunday.
Trainer Guy Walter is looking at the Group Two Sires’ Produce Stakes and Group One TJ Smith Stakes in Brisbane with the colt but the two-year-old has to prove he’s up to it in his Randwick assignment.
Toydini is on the second line of pre-post betting for the TJ Smith (1600m) with TAB Sportsbet at $8 behind dominant favourite Sizzling who is at $2.80.
“He’s going to run over 1300 metres at Randwick and if he performs well he may go to Brisbane for the Sires and the TJ Smith,” Walter said.
“I thought he couldn’t have won more impressively last start.”
Toydini is a son of Bernardini out of the well-performed mare Johan’s Toy who Walter trained throughout her career.
Johan’s Toy won four of her 26 starts including two Listed races.
The mare was also placed in three Group Ones including in the 2005 Epsom Handicap and 2006 Doncaster Handicap, finishing second on both occasions.
Toydini made his debut with an encouraging second at a Hawkesbury metropolitan class meeting in March and was then thrown in the deep end in the Listed Baillieu Handicap at his second start.
He disappointed when he finished eighth, but bounced back with blinkers on for the first time to win by three lengths on Anzac Day on the Kensington track at Randwick.
“He got a bit lost in the Baillieu but the blinkers switched him on and he’s come through his last run well,” Walter said.
“Whether he’s up to the better ones we’ll have to wait and see, but he deserves his shot at it.”
Toydini was nominated for a Warwick Farm 1400m event last Wednesday but Walter said the timing of the Randwick race fitted in better with plans for Brisbane.
“It’s then a couple of weeks leading into the Sires,” he said.
The Group Two Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) is at Eagle Farm on June 2 with the TJ Smith (1600m) a week later.
Walter kept Toydini ticking over with a barrier trial at Warwick Farm on Friday.
He finished a comfortable sixth of nine over 796m with Blake Shinn aboard.
