Another Wil has arrived in Victoria and is slated to commence his next racing campaign in the PB Lawrence Stakes at Caulfield.
The seven-year-old gelding arrived from Sydney last Saturday morning and is stabled at trainer Ciaron Maher’s Ballarat facility. A decision on his participation on Saturday will be made following some work on Tuesday.
Alongside Another Wil, Light Infantry Man and Warnie also made the journey from Sydney.
Light Infantry Man is nominated for the PB Lawrence on Saturday, as well as a benchmark 100 handicap over 1600 metres. Warnie also holds an entry for the PB Lawrence and a nomination for the Regal Roller Stakes (1200m).
Kings Valley completes the quartet of entries for Saturday’s Group 2 1400m weight-for-age event, with a nomination also in a benchmark 90 handicap over the same distance.
Jack Turnbull, National Assistant Trainer for Ciaron Maher Racing, indicated that the Sydney team was pleased with Another Wil’s preparation for his potential Saturday return.
Another Wil had three starts in Queensland, achieving a fourth-place finish in the Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup at Eagle Farm second-up, before finishing last in the Stradbroke Handicap on a very wet Eagle Farm track prior to a spell.
“We’ll probably give him a little bit of work on Tuesday, but he’s pretty much ready to go and then he can come to Cranbourne,” Turnbull stated.
“He ran a really good race up in Queensland and because he had to go two weeks, two weeks, it probably just knocked the edge off him, and he was also on a very heavy track as well last time.
“He had six months off and then to come back and run the way he did, you know that he’s going to have improvement into this preparation.
“He spelled up there (Queensland), had some sun on his back, and we know he’s a very good horse at his best.”
A winner of nine of his 21 starts, including the Group 1 CF Orr Stakes over the same course and distance as Saturday’s race, Another Wil had only two starts last spring before a break of more than six months.
“He had a couple of small niggles, and it was like he lost confidence and he got really keen, and when he was keen, he was running his races upside down and wasn’t finishing off,” Turnbull explained.
“He seems to have softened and relaxed a bit and at his best, and if he can get back to his best, he can mix it with the best milers.
“The beauty with a horse like him, there are so many options, and we may have to get a little bit crafty as to where we place him with his handicap mark.”
Kings Valley is on a trajectory towards the Caulfield Cup, having secured a ballot exemption by winning the Mornington Cup in April.
Turnbull mentioned that Kings Valley is still carrying his winter coat and is being targeted to peak on Caulfield Cup Day in October.
“He’s quite a keen horse fresh and we’re conscious of that, but he’s likely to have four runs into the Caulfield Cup,” Turnbull said.
“He’s got his winter jacket on him, coming from Ballarat, but he was late last season dropping his coat.
“He’s going OK and it will be when we get him to a mile and further is when we will see him.”
“Light Infantry Man and Warnie both came down with Another Wil and are entered in a couple of races, and we’ll work out what suits them best.”
Among the 18 nominations for Saturday’s Group 2 PB Lawrence Stakes are the Chris Waller-trained trio Ohope Wins, Soul Of Spain, and Wootton Verni, alongside Desert Lightning and Evaporate.
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