While all eyes will be on their highly touted two-year-old Amazing Eagle, Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou will have a strong support crew at Randwick, headlined by handy gelding Grebeni.
Midfield in the Festival Stakes (1500m) at his most recent appearance, Grebeni drops slightly in grade for Saturday’s Cactus Imaging Handicap (1600m) after bypassing a start in The Ingham.
Ryan is looking for the horse to bounce back to his best after an uncharacteristically poor parade at Rosehill where the horse was almost four weeks between runs.
“He paraded a bit fresh going a month between runs into the Festival Stakes,” Ryan said.
“I have never seen him sweat up in the mounting yard like he did that day and I’ve been to most of his races.
“He ended up in an awkward spot in an awkward run race. His run was OK, it was a pass mark.”
Grebeni drew gate seven of 11 last start and has barrier four in Saturday’s 15-horse field.
His trainers are hoping that also makes a difference by giving Kerrin Mcevoy a chance to find cover closer to the speed.
Alexiou, who trains the horse in partnership with Ryan, says Grebeni’s five career-wins have generally been in moderately run races, allowing him to unleash his short, sharp sprint.
“All his best performances have been in slowly run races because he’s got a good turn of foot,” Alexiou said.
“When he’s got to make a long, sustained run, he never really finishes the race off. The couple of times he has been disappointing to the eye, he has had to make 600 or 700-metre runs.
“He drew awkwardly the other day and had to get back, he’s drawn a bit better Saturday and if he can begin well, which is a question mark at times, he should be able to position better than he did at his last start.”
Stablemate Union Army has drawn the rails for his return from a bleed in the TAB Handicap (1100m) and while the inside can be advantageous for some horses, Alexiou says Union Army isn’t one of them.
“He’s a big horse that needs to build his momentum,” Alexiou said.
“The day Reece Jones rode him at Randwick (last campaign) when he should have won and got strung up for a run, he drew a low barrier that day.”
The trainers are also interested to see how Smashing Eagle copes with 1200 metres in the Petaluma Handicap, the first time the gelding has extended beyond 1100 metres since joining their team this year.
The horse was tried at the journey earlier in his career without success, but connections feel he has learned to relax and is now ready or the longer sprint trip.
