As stable star Streama prepares to make her way back to racing, Guy Walter has Toydini up and running on a program aimed at Group One success.
Toydini finished a flashing second to Albrecht in Saturday’s Up And Coming Stakes at his first start since running fourth in the Group One TJ Smith Stakes during the Brisbane winter.
Trainer Peter Snowden has a decision to make about the winner’s path this spring with the $1 million Golden Rose among his options.
That race on September 15 is not under consideration for Toydini who will follow a traditional path to the Spring Champion Stakes on October 6.
“He will go to the Ming Dynasty, the Gloaming and then to the Spring Champion,” Walter said.
“I was really pleased with the way he hit the line.”
Dual Group One winner Streama is set to resume in the Sheraco Stakes (1200m) on Golden Rose day and is likely to continue her preparation in Melbourne ahead of her Group One mission, the Myer Classic at Flemington in November.
The Listed Ming Dynasty (1400m) is at Toydini’s home track, Warwick Farm, on September 8, the Group Three Gloaming (1800m) two weeks later with another two weeks to the Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Randwick.
Walter won last year’s Spring Champion with Doctor Doom who continues to recover from an injury suffered in the autumn.
The Spring Champion is a race close to Walter’s heart with the 1997 victory by Tie The Knot the first of his 13 Group One victories.
While Toydini will probably never match that, he is also a horse the trainer feels a great affinity with having trained his mother Johan’s Toy.
Although she didn’t win a Group One race, the mare came close with placings in the 2005 Coolmore Classic and Epsom Handicap as well as the Doncaster the following year.