Jockey Craig Williams has timed his runs to perfection as he reunites with Signature Scent in a Stakes race at Caulfield.
After failing to run down Blake Shinn and win the Melbourne Jockeys’ Premiership late last month, Williams headed to Ukraine to catch up with his wife’s family while also distributing humanitarian aid.
After a little over two weeks out of the saddle, Signature Scent, in the Group 3 Quezette Stakes (1100m), is one of five rides Williams has at Caulfield on Saturday.
Williams partnered Signature Scent when successful at Caulfield on July 12, and Saturday’s race has been on the filly’s radar since.
Ciaron Maher’s National Assistant Trainer, Jack Turnbull, said there was a nice sense of timing about Saturday’s race for Signature Scent.
“She’s a lovely filly that has plenty of size and scope about her,” Turnbull said.
“There’s a nice sense of timing with five weeks between runs after four weeks between her first and second, and she’s going into this with a little top up at the jump-outs.
“She’s drawn nicely, she’s physically very good and all her home work suggests she should be ultra competitive.”
The Maher team also has Icarian Dream and stable newcomer Custom set to run in the Quezette.
Icarian Dream has not raced since the Magic Millions 2YO Classic at the Gold Coast in January after which she was withdrawn from the Blue Diamond Stakes on race eve on veterinary grounds.
“We wanted to run in the Blue Diamond, but we weren’t allowed to,” Turnbull said.
“We were happy with her but she didn’t pass the trot up for the vets on the day before the race.
“It was disappointing, but they were just doing their job, but she was able to have six weeks off and has come back and prepped up beautifully.
“She started out at Ballarat, has come down to Cranbourne and has had two nice jump-outs. The last one was quite sharp and she did a nice bit of work on Monday.”
Custom is Godolphin-owned and was prepared by James Cummings in Sydney when successful in a Kensington maiden on July 16.
Turnbull said the filly had been with the stable about three weeks and travelled down from Sydney earlier in the month.
“It’s nice when you get a filly of her calibre,” Turnbull said.
“She won her maiden pretty well at Kensington. In one of her starts she ran close to State Visit, who we really like and is Group performed.
“We gave her a jump-out at Cranbourne to try and emulate getting on the Melbourne leg, but they were down back straight, so we had to lean into the bend there.
“She’s very straight forward, is really nice to deal with, and seemingly push button.”
