A week after Nictock ran third in a Highway Handicap, Mudgee trainer Cameron Crockett is throwing stablemate The Frick into the deep end on a wet track at Rosehill.
Crockett has applied the same philosophy to the four-year-old’s Highway debut on Saturday as he did when younger stablemate Nictock stepped up in class at Randwick.
“If you pull one off you’ve got a year’s worth of training paid for. If you’ve got one good enough you may as well have a crack at it,” Crockett said.
“This could be a touch above him but he’s heading in the right direction.”
While Nictock won his first three starts before he finished behind Clipper and Conniving when he experienced a heavy track for the first time, The Frick has been more of a work in progress for Crockett.
“It probably took him 10 starts before he put it all together. He’s by Teofilo and the couple I’ve had by him are a little bit dumb, and very nervous,” Crockett said.
“It was hard for him to understand what we wanted from him. We had to be patient but it’s all starting to sink in now.”
The Frick has won his past two starts at Dubbo to warrant a trip to the city for the race restricted to country-trained horses.
Although The Frick hasn’t raced on a heavy track since last July Crockett is confident he will handle it along with the 1500 metres.
“(Jockey) Greg Ryan reckons he’ll get out to a mile-and-a-quarter and further,” he said.
Crockett is not sure barrier two in the 13-strong field is ideal for The Frick.
“I’d have preferred him to draw out a little bit wide,” he said.
“The one day he hung really bad he drew the one. He’d rather be off the fence where he’s not bottled up.”
