A rejuvenated Destiny’s Kiss will bid for a second stakes win in as many starts when he lines up in the Australia Day Cup.
The seven-year-old ended an 18-month absence from the winners’ list in the Gosford Cup (2100m) earlier this month.
He is the 59kg topweight for Tuesday’s Listed Australia Day Cup in which he will face a maximum of five rivals.
“I couldn’t have hand-picked a better race for him,” trainer Joe Pride said.
“It’s ideal. There’s not much depth to it and he likes small fields.
“His two runs this preparation have been excellent.”
Destiny’s Kiss finished third in a three-way photo-finish in a 1600m race at Randwick on Boxing Day before the Gosford Cup (2100m) on January 9 in which he beat Award Season and Dream Folk who is among his opponents on Tuesday.
Vilanova and Black Jag represent the Chris Waller stable with Thurston and Tingeera making up the field.
Destiny’s Kiss’s Gosford Cup win was his first since mid-2014 in the Stayers Cup over 3200 metres, his first and so far, only, attempt over the distance.
He registered one other minor place between June 2014 and Boxing Day last year when third in the Lord Mayor’s Cup won by Silverball.
Destiny’s held sway in the TAB’s market on Tuesday at $2.10 ahead of Vilanova ($3.20) and Dream Folk (4.60).
Pride will also take Shadow Lord to Randwick for the tab.com.au (1400m).
“He was a bit disappointing last time but he loves the wet so that should give him the chance to bounce back,” he said.
The trainer scratched Kanji from Saturday’s Randwick meeting because of the heavy track and has taken precautions against the same thing happening on Tuesday by entering him in Saturday’s benchmark 85 (2000m) at Rosehill.
Soros was also scratched from Saturday and will run at Rosehill with Pride’s team headed by Group One winner Tiger Tees in the Expressway Stakes (1200m).
