Family ties to Flemington straight

Trainer Chris Waller is banking on Steel Will following the lead of a sibling when the three-year-old makes his Melbourne debut at Flemington.

Successful in his past two outings, Steel Will runs in the Group 3 Poseidon Stakes (1100m) on Saturday.

Steel Will’s older half-sister September Run came to Melbourne as a three-year-old and blazed a path down the Flemington straight.

September Run came to Flemington to win the Listed Cap D’Antibes Stakes (1100m), also run on Saturday, before capturing the Poseidon Stakes and then the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) on the opening day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival.

A programming switch since, sees the Poseidon Stakes swapping dates with the Group 2 Danehill Stakes which is also at Flemington, and will this year be run on October 3.

September Run was more precocious as a two-year-old winning at Canterbury and Doomben while Steel Will was placed once in two starts in his juvenile year.

Beaten first-up to start her three-year-old season, September Run came to Melbourne after that defeat to start her successful run.

However, Steel Will has won at Wyong and Rosehill to start his three-year-old year, and Waller wants to find out where he lies in the stable’s pecking order of young up-and-coming sprinters.

“We’re not sure (where he lays) and that’s why we want to run him and see where he does fit in,” Waller said.

“Sentimentally there is a little bit in our favour. He’s a half-brother to September Run and this is when she found he great form when she won in a similar type of race at the same time.

“He’s done everything right in Sydney and we just want to see how he performs down the straight and then he can maybe go on to a Danehill and hopefully the Coolmore.

“But they are big steps though.”

Steel Will has drawn in gate nine in the 10-horse field and will be ridden by Ben Melham.