Yaki Ishi will attempt to give Robbie Griffiths and Mathew de Kock a third win in the Mornington Sires.
If early betting on the Cleanaway Sustainability Sires is any indication, six of the eight runners will be racing to fill third place on Saturday.
Yaki Ishi and Do It La share favouritism at $2 with TAB for the 1500m race at Mornington.
For Robbie Griffiths and Mathew de Kock, success by Yaki Ishi would give the stable a third straight win in the race having taken honours with Glenfiddich in 2020 and Daily Bugle last year.
De Kock was not training with Griffiths when Glenfiddich took out the race, joining the stable in a training partnership later that year.
Yaki Ishi has raced only twice, registering a debut fourth over 1200m at Pakenham last month before an outstanding third in the Group 2 VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) at Flemington on March 12.
The son of Maurice is part-owned legendary South African trainer Mike de Kock, and de Kock junior said the colt had pleased the stable since his last start placing.
“He’s done very well, but we’ll see how he goes after Saturday as to where he will go,” de Kock said.
“There is the potential to go up north or maybe turn him out for a spell, but he’s a nice horse, so we’ll take our time.”
Both Glenfiddich and Daily Bugle headed to Randwick for Group 1 assignments following their victories at Mornington.
Glenfiddich did not handle the soft conditions when sixth in the ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) before running a close second to King’s Legacy in the Champagne Stakes (1600m) two weeks later while Daily Bugle ran sixth and 11th in the corresponding races.
Daily Bugle also competes on Saturday in the Mornington Guineas (1600m).
It will be his second run from a break having finished eighth over 1200m at Flemington on March 5.
“It was a nice run first-up over the 1200 metres up the straight as he’d never raced at that before and it was a nice starting point for this,” de Kock said.
