Victoria Derby winner Fiveandahalfstar will do his early autumn racing in Melbourne with the Australian Cup a likely target.
The gelding made his first public appearance since the Derby at Thursday’s Randwick barrier trials and pleased trainer Anthony Cummings with his fourth in a 740m heat.
“He wasn’t out to do a real lot but I was pleased with what he did,” Cummings said.
Fiveandahalfstar will trial again in two weeks before kicking off his campaign at Caulfield on February 9.
Cummings said he had decided to head south due to the Randwick Guineas being switched to Warwick Farm this year to allow additional time for work on the new grandstand at headquarters.
“It just didn’t suit him. I understand why they’ve done it and they probably didn’t have much choice,” he said.
“But you’ve got to make a dollar out of your horses and do what is best for them.”
Cummings hasn’t ruled out starting Fiveandahalfstar in the Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington on March 2, although he is leaning towards targeting the Australian Cup (2000m) a week later instead.
That would mean taking on the older horses at weight-for-age level but Cummings has no qualms about such a task.
“I’m inclined to tackle an 1800 metre race (instead of the Australian Guineas) and then the Australian Cup,” Cummings said.
“Then he would back up into the Rosehill Guineas.”
Last year’s Rosehill Guineas winner Laser Hawk was also in action at the Randwick trials and scored an impressive win.
The four-year-old, who missed the spring through injury, was among several Gai Waterhouse-trained stars to step out but was arguably the most impressive.
Thursday’s 1200m trial was Laser Hawk’s second this time in and he stalked the speed before taking a gap between the leaders and striding clear.
It was an effort jockey Tommy Berry described via twitter as “most impressive”.
Waterhouse’s Metropolitan Handicap winner Glencadam Gold was third in his trial while Most Joyful, an unraced half-sister to outstanding mare More Joyous narrowly took out her juvenile heat.
