Having celebrated the debut win of two-year-old Return With Honour, trainer Gerald Ryan is now looking to one of the colt’s elder stablemates to claim a stakes success.
Striking grey Albumin runs in Saturday’s Listed Christmas Classic (1200m) in which he takes on a classy field of off-season sprinters.
Return With Honour was an impressive winner at Randwick on Thursday and is likely to run again next month.
Albumin has had two starts from a spell, and most recently was fifth in the Razor Sharp, half a length from the winner Signore Fox who will start favourite in the Christmas Stakes.
Ryan was pleased with the improvement Albumin showed from his first-up run when he was last after being back all the way.
“First-up it was too wet. The track was rated a good four but they weren’t running good four times and it didn’t suit him,” Ryan said.
“He was much better the other day and his work has been good.
“He has kept improving and it would be nice to get a Listed win with him.”
To be ridden by Jay Ford, Albumin is a $14 chance with the Peter and Paul Snowden-trained Signore Fox the TAB’s early $2.60 favourite.
The field is headed by Group One winner Invincibella from the Chris Waller stable with the Tatt’s Tiara winner unplaced in three spring starts, her latest when 12th behind New Zealand champion Melody Belle in the Group One Empire Rose at Flemington on November 2.
She has been kept ticking over with a recent barrier trial.
Ryan’s other Randwick runner will be the improving Bandersnatch who is aiming for three straight wins when he contests the benchmark 78 over 1400m.
He is the early $2.40 favourite with Brenton Avdulla to ride.
A natural front runner, Bandersnatch has won three of his six starts including his two this preparation.
Ryan’s holiday racing week continued with three-year-old filly Saas Fee running a solid third against older mares in the Group Three Belle Of The Turf (1600m) at Gosford on Friday.
The filly is a daughter of Snitzerland who Ryan trained to win the 2014 Group One Lightning Stakes.
