A drying track isn’t expected to bother surprise Winter Stakes winner Estadio Mestalla but it will bring his stablemate right into contention when they clash again at Rosehill.
Estadio Mestalla started at $61 when taking out the Listed feature on a soft 7 surface last start, relegating Joe Pride-trained barn mate Accredited to third.
With Rosehill set to race no worse than a soft 5 on Saturday, Accredited gets his chance to turn the tables in the Listed Winter Challenge (1500m).
“I have actually always thought he (Estadio Mestalla) was better on the dry than on the wet,” Pride said.
“But the main thing is, I would think Accredited would improve a couple of lengths.
“Accredited is probably the top seed but there’s not a lot between them.”
Six of Accredited’s seven wins have been on good tracks, his only other coming on a soft 5.
In hindsight, Pride said the surface he struck last time out was more testing than anticipated and accounted for his defeat.
“Disappointing result but understandable given the track conditions on the day,” he said.
“They were a little bit worse than what I thought we were going to get when I left him in that on the Saturday morning.”
Accredited is a $4.60 chance on Saturday with Estadio Mestalla rated at $7.50.
Despite the rough odds the latter was sent around at last start, Pride said the win was a return to his usual level of performance and expected him to maintain it.
“I think so. He’s always been a really honest, genuine horse so it was surprising to me that he wasn’t racing well,” Pride said.
“Now that he has turned it around, I’d be very surprised if he didn’t run well again.”
Pride will also saddle up just his fifth two-year-old runner of the season when Reflect resumes in the Traffic Warden @ Darly Handicap (1200m).
The daughter of So You Think wasn’t disgraced behind subsequent stakes performers King Of Pop and Savvy Hallie at her only start and Pride said she was a horse to watch from a future perspective.
“I like her. So You Think can throw a nice horse but she is just stunning,” he said.
“She has got the diva attitude to her too.
“She will get out over more ground and probably the autumn will be her go.”
