Ciaron Maher’s stable will assess nominations before settling on its final line-up for Saturday’s Group 2 P B Lawrence Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield.
Group 1 winner Another Wil is expected to resume in the weight-for-age feature after arriving at Maher’s Ballarat base from Sydney last weekend.
The seven-year-old travelled south alongside Light Infantry Man and Warnie, with Tuesday’s work set to determine whether he takes his place in the field.
Light Infantry Man is also nominated for Saturday’s feature as well as a Benchmark 100 over 1600 metres, while Warnie holds entries in both the P B Lawrence Stakes and the Regal Roller Stakes. Kings Valley completes the stable’s quartet of nominations and also features among the entries for a Benchmark 90 over 1400 metres.
National assistant trainer Jack Turnbull said Another Wil had completed an encouraging preparation ahead of his return.
The gelding raced three times during the Queensland Winter Carnival, highlighted by a fourth placing in the Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup before finishing at the rear in the Stradbroke Handicap on a rain-affected track.
“We’ll probably give him a little bit of work on Tuesday, but he’s pretty much ready to go and then he can come to Cranbourne,” Turnbull said.
“He ran a really good race up in Queensland and because he had to go two weeks, two weeks, it probably just knocked the edge off him, and he was also on a very heavy track as well last time.
“He had six months off and then to come back and run the way he did, you know that he’s going to have improvement into this preparation.
“He spelled up there (Queensland), had some sun on his back, and we know he’s a very good horse at his best.”
Another Wil has won nine of his 21 starts, including last season’s Group 1 C F Orr Stakes over the same course and distance as Saturday’s assignment.
Turnbull said the stable believes the gelding has returned in a better frame of mind after overcoming some minor setbacks.
“He had a couple of small niggles, and it was like he lost confidence and he got really keen, and when he was keen, he was running his races upside down and wasn’t finishing off,” Turnbull said.
“He seems to have softened and relaxed a bit and at his best, and if he can get back to his best, he can mix it with the best milers.
“The beauty with a horse like him, there are so many options, and we may have to get a little bit crafty as to where we place him with his handicap mark.”
Kings Valley is being aimed towards the Caulfield Cup after earning ballot exemption with his Mornington Cup victory earlier this year.
“He’s quite a keen horse fresh and we’re conscious of that, but he’s likely to have four runs into the Caulfield Cup,” Turnbull said.
“He’s got his winter jacket on him, coming from Ballarat, but he was late last season dropping his coat.
“He’s going OK and it will be when we get him to a mile and further is when we will see him.
“Light Infantry Man and Warnie both came down with Another Wil and are entered in a couple of races, and we’ll work out what suits them best.”
Among the 18 nominations for the P B Lawrence Stakes are Chris Waller’s trio Ohope Wins, Soul Of Spain and Wootton Verni, along with Desert Lightning and Evaporate.
