A lacklustre campaign from Xidaki during the autumn and winter left Peter Snowden scratching his head, but the top trainer is satisfied his charge has regained his spark.
A winner of the Group 3 Winx Guineas (1600m) at three, Xidaki trained on to place in last year’s Silver Eagle (1300m) and Festival Stakes (1500m), then wasn’t disgraced when midfield in The Ingham (1600m).
However, returning during the latter part of the Sydney autumn, he didn’t show his customary zest in any of his four starts, prompting Snowden to pull up stumps and regroup.
“Last prep wasn’t him at all, so I only gave him a few runs and stopped,” Snowden said.
“I brought him back in, that was his first run the other day and that was much more like him.”
Xidaki resumed with a solid third to Brave One on The Hunter undercard at Newcastle when he was tightened for room over the final stages.
He will appreciate a 200m distance rise in the Festival Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill on Saturday and from a low draw in barrier four, Snowden expects him to feature prominently for the second year in succession.
“His first-up run at Newcastle was great. He ran third and got blocked for a run with ten metres to go and he might have even run second,” he said.
“He hit the line very strongly over 1300 so the 1500 shouldn’t be an issue.
“He’s got a great barrier. No weight on his back. He’s got a good rider (Rachel King). He will be competitive.”
Stablemate Touristic will resume in the same race after failing to gain a start as an emergency for The Gong (1600m) at Kembla Grange last weekend.
Saturday’s assignment will be more a campaign starting point than a target, and he is expected to improve once he extends to a middle distance.
Last year’s Festival Stakes runner-up Robusto headlines a bumper field of 20 for the Festival Stakes (1500m), a key lead-up to The Ingham (1600m) at Randwick next month.
