Spring plans for a rejuvenated Trusting will come down to his stamina at the end of Saturday’s Group Two Hill Stakes.
The five-year-old broke a two-year winning drought with his determined victory over My Kingdom Of Fife in the Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) last start.
He steps up to 2000 metres at Rosehill on Saturday and his performance will be pivotal in determining which path Patinack Farm trainer John Thompson takes with him.
“It’s one run at a time. If he doesn’t run a strong 2000 (metres) we go back to the Epsom but if he runs it out and looks like he wants further we’ll go on towards the Caulfield Cup,” Thompson said.
“But James Winks rode him pretty much all his last preparation and he was adamant that he’s a Caulfield Cup horse.”
Trusting was earmarked as a rising star when he won the Warwick Stakes as a three-year-old in 2009.
But he appeared to lose his way after that with several enigmatic performances and a protracted absence from the winner’s stall.
When he finally won last start, Thompson freely admitted Trusting was the most frustrating horse he had trained.
But he always knew the talent was there and his perseverance paid off with the Chelmsford victory.
“You live in hope. That’s why we didn’t retire him, we thought he still had a bit more to give,” Thompson said.
“Going into his last run he was going as good as I could get him to go.
“He seems to have improved. (Jockey) Christian Reith, who rides him all his gallops said `I think his work in the last 10 days has been better than going into his win’ so I was happy to hear that.
“He looks a million dollars, he really does.”
Singapore-based Joao Moreira partnered Trusting last start and will again make the trip to Sydney for the ride on Saturday.
He will be in action in Singapore on Friday night, arriving on race morning to take four mounts for Patinack Farm at the Rosehill meeting.
AAP TURF
