Two newcomers to Lindsay Park are expected to line up against each other at Sandown, although trainers Ben, Will and J D Hayes are concerned by their draws.
Katsu and Kristilli are down to run in the Thoroughbred Club of Australia Handicap (1000m) on Saturday and have shown their trainers they are ready for a racetrack return.
A former member of the Grahame Begg stable, Katsu was being talked of as a Group 1 Oakleigh Plate contender in 2024.
Katsu had won the Listed Kensington Stakes (1000m) at Flemington in December 2023 and was heading towards the Oakleigh Plate a couple of months later, until he posted a disappointing performance in the W J Adams Stakes in January 2024.
The sprinter raced five more times for Begg but was unable to recapture that spark, but Ben Hayes said the team has been impressed with what the gelding has been showing in trials, although he can be headstrong on the track.
“He’s a tricky horse to train,” Hayes said.
“He’s a strong horse in trackwork but very fast and hopefully he can run well first-up for the stable.
“His trial form is very strong. The horse that beat him in his first one was from Grahame Begg’s yard (Niance) that went on and won a Stakes race.”
Kristilli is now with her third stable having started out with Annabel Archibald (Neasham) in Sydney where she won the Group 2 Percy Sykes Stakes (1200m) before making her way to Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr for two runs late last year.
Hayes said that early Stakes win may have counted against the mare who had struggled with her handicap rating.
“We’ve been lucky to get her as her rating starts to get low, so this would be one of the easier races that she has run in, and I think she can run well,” Hayes said.
“She has trialled up nicely and done everything right and I think it will be a nice race for her to blow out the cobwebs.
“I think it’s a nice kick-off for both of them.”
Apprentice Logan Bates will take 3kg off Katsu’s 63kg impost while Harry Coffey has been booked to ride Kristilli.
