Dual Blamey Stakes hopes for Ciaron Maher

New Zealand Derby winner Willydoit will be racing for a spot in the Australian Cup when he lines up at Flemington.

Willydoit and stablemate Holymanz contest the Group 2 Blamey Stakes (1600m) on Saturday as the pair look to enhance their claims of further autumn riches.

Now in his second preparation for the Ciaron Maher stable, Willydoit is yet to strike the form that saw him win the Group 1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) at Ellerslie last March.

Maher’s National Assistant Trainer Jack Turnbull said the stable had learned a lot about the now four-year-old following his first campaign in Sydney during the spring.

Willydoit resumed at Caulfield on February 7 and beat only one horse home in the MRC Foundation Cup (1600m), but the stable has again called for blinkers on the gelding after suggesting the gelding was a ‘little plain’ first-up.

“When the race was run the way it was, it was brutally run, and with a horse like Light Infantry Man winning it, sitting second, it says a lot about the race shape,” Turnbull said.

“For him, who was back, no headgear, floating along, he just never got involved.

“His splits late were positive enough, but he should have done something because he did nothing for the first three-quarters.

“He’s had a couple of good gallops, he gets on the bigger track, the mile again, headgear on, there’s a lot more going his way this week.”

Turnbull said Willydoit had been one of the better staying three-year-olds having also finished fourth in the Australian Derby (2400m) at Randwick last autumn, but as a spring four-year-old the stable decided to chase spring riches.

It included finishing ninth in The Golden Eagle after running seventh in the Alan Brown Stakes.

“He was a dominant staying three-year-old, but he’s not slow, so coming to Sydney last campaign, with the weights, we were willing to try him in the big features which didn’t work,” Turnbull said.

“A prep on, we know a bit more about him and I think 2000 (metres) will be his go.

“The Australian Cup is on the plan, but if he was not to fire at that class and weight scale, then there are races like the Mornington Cup, but we’ll just see, but his main early aim, after this run, is the Australian Cup.”

Turnbull described Holymanz as an ‘old marvel’ who came off a freshen up to finish third in the MRC Foundation Cup at his last start.

“We could have gone to the All-Star Mile (next Saturday), but we’ve decided on the softer option to get him to be winning again,” Turnbull said.

“It’s not a race that’s out of his reach and if he can run up to his last run, he’ll be right up there again.”