It has been almost three years since Mike Petrovic last came to town for a Highway Handicap, but he believes the time is right to have another bite of the cherry.
The Queanbeyan horseman will saddle up three-year-old Accrue at Randwick on Saturday, securing top jockey Tim Clark for the mount.
His last Highway runner was Onsettling Down, who finished fifth to Zardoro in February 2019, and Petrovic believes Accrue is capable of bettering that result.
“I have never shied away from the city if I have something that goes OK, and I have won a few races in Sydney,” Petrovic said.
“If I stay home, I’ll never know.
“I’m confident the horse will put in a big run. He is feeling well and his work has been good.”
Accrue joined Petrovic’s team at the start of the spring and is yet to miss a top-three finish in six starts for the stable.
He broke his maiden at his home track in October with an emphatic four-length victory then found one better the two times he was extended in distance to a mile.
Back to 1460 metres last start, Accrue posted another comfortable win to earn himself a shot at Saturday’s 1400 metre assignment.
“I had him nominated for Sydney before that Queanbeyan run because I was confident he was going well,” Petrovic said.
“He is definitely a Highway horse. Whether he performs at Sydney midweek or Saturday level, we will see, but the horse is going nicely and he was impressive last start.”
In an open market, Accrue was a $16 chance with TAB fixed odds on Wednesday with the Danny Williams-trained Shelby Sixtysix favourite at $6.
