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By Greg Prichard

Nothing but quotes from the trainers of every runner in Saturday's $2 million The Kosciuszko (1200m) at Royal Randwick.

1. FRONT PAGE (Matthew Dale, Goulburn): “He’s come on nicely from his barrier trial and is very well in himself. Galloped well on Tuesday and goes into the race a very sound and happy horse. He doesn’t have to lead, but if something else is leading him they’re probably going too fast and history tells you that. It’s very hard to lead him and win. He’ll go his speed, which is usually leading, but if something wants to go faster it’ll just give him a bunny like when he won the Group Two in Brisbane last prep. He’s another year older, but he’s right up for the challenge again.”

Danny Williams (Pic: Bradley Photos).

2. BANDI’S BOY (Danny Williams, Goulburn): “We took bloods on Monday and the results told us he didn’t need a lot of work this week, so he’s right on track. He’s come through the preparation sound and I’m happy with him going into the race. He had a light breeze-up on Wednesday to try to keep him a bit fresh. He’s the better chance of my two because he’s a bit more seasoned. His last trial was very good. I thought he had a lot left to give. He’s drawn a nice gate with Front Page inside him going forward, so he can camp a couple of lengths off him.”

3. COMPELLING TRUTH (Mack Griffith, Mudgee): “He’s never been in better shape. His last gallop was probably the best he’s ever done. When you go through his record, racing off a four-week interval is really his sweet spot. It took us a while to work it out and now that’s what we do with him. That’s why we had to go to that race that wasn’t winnable (The Shorts) but it fitted into his program. I think he’ll be very close to leading or else sitting outside something, but definitely in the first two. Happy with a good track. He’s won on good or heavy, so whatever surface is fine.”

4. MELODY AGAIN (Scott Singleton, Scone): “She’s healthy and everything’s gone according to plan. She’s been down there to race many times in Sydney and done very well, so she won’t be overawed by it and it’s just a matter of getting a bit of luck on the day. She’s got a great first-up record and as a winner at Group Three level now she’s certainly classy enough to be in the mix. She’s run fast time in winning over 1200 at Randwick. She needs a dry track and the pace on and I imagine she’ll get both of those. She knows how to come from well back and win.”

5. GOLDEN DECADE (Matthew Dunn, Murwillumbah): “He’s way over the odds, he shouldn’t be $26 especially if the track is dry. If the track was heavy it’d be a different story. His last run was much better than what it looked. He got some severe interference early in the race which put him out of play pretty much and first-up before that he was excellent, He beat a good bunch of open-class sprinters with Group form around them and did it coming from last. He’s in really good shape, travelled down really well and he’s a happy horse. Looking forward to seeing him run.”

6. BOSTON ROCKS (Matthew Dale, Goulburn): “He improved a lot at his last start to run third and he’s come on again since then. He’ll need a little bit of luck from gate one, but he’ll just drop in behind the bulk of the speed and go from there. He’s got quality. He’s raced at that deeper level I think you need if you’re going to be exposed to the sort of pressure you face in a Kosciuszko and that form around the winner at his his last start, Disneck, is solid form. If he gets a nice drop in behind them and has even luck from there then he’s a top-three hope.”

Trainer Brett Robb (Pic: Janian McMillan)

7. GALLANT STAR (Brett Robb, Dubbo): “It was always going to be a challenge to go first-up with him and have him right for that, but I couldn’t be happier with the way it’s gone. He’s had two barrier trials and plenty of miles in trackwork. His last trial was great and he even improved off that when he galloped on Tuesday. I got Clayton Gallagher, who knows him very well, to ride him in the gallop and he got off and said, ‘I don’t think you can get him any better’. He’ll be back about midfield. They’ll go quick and that could set it up for a horse like ours.”

8. LISZTOMANIA (Todd Payne, Inverell): “Couldn’t be happier with him. He travelled down to Sydney fantastic, you wouldn’t have known he was on the float behind us. He’s settled in well, eating well and the bad barrier doesn’t worry us one bit. He gets back anyway. If we can be in front of a couple in the run that’ll be a bonus, but it’ll be a pretty hot tempo and that’ll bring us into the race. Bit of clear air at the top of the straight and he’s got a great turn of foot. It’s been a six-month plan since the Country Championships and it’s all gone perfectly so far.”

9. SO MAGNIFICENT (Todd Smart, Canberra): “He’s trained on nicely and is in very good order. We gave him another jump-out on Wednesday of last week and a bit of work on Saturday and Tuesday and he’s ready to go. It’s six weeks between runs from when he won his Highway first-up at Randwick, so he’s got residual fitness but we’re also able to sort of go in fresh which will suit him. We haven’t drawn very well, but he’s got early speed we can use and if he jumps well you’re not going to snag him back. Billy (Owen, his jockey) knows him well.”

10. HIGHWAY STRIP (Danny Williams, Goulburn): “This week has been very similar with him to how it’s been with Bandi’s Boy. His bloods were good, had a light breeze-up on Wednesday. We’ve done all we wanted to do with him. We’re hoping he jumps well from his good gate and doesn’t get so far out of his ground as he has from bad gates a couple of times. If they do run along a bit it’ll set it up for him. He’ll like a fast-run race. He’s only young and it’s a big occasion for him being lightly-raced and against these old hard-heads, but he deserves his place in the race.”

11. CLEAR THINKING (Paul Messara and Leah Gavranich, Scone): “She’s got a good first-up record, she’s fit and well, she’s had three trials and she galloped nicely on Tuesday. She’s as good as we can get her first-up. We would’ve liked to have had a run, but we could’ve attracted a weight penalty had she won another race so I think this is the best way for her to come into it. She’s ready to go, I can guarantee she’s turning up on the day in good order. We’re going to run her in blinkers for the first time. The shades will probably keep her a bit closer in a fast-run race.”

Trainer Matthew Dunn (Pic: Bradley Photos)

12. WITHOUT PARALLEL (Matthew Dunn, Murwillumbah): “She’d love for that predicted storm to come through on Friday night and give us a wet track, because she was clearly very good on the Heavy 10 when she won at Rosehill and she’s won a couple of times on soft as well. But regardless of that she’s drawn barrier two which is a massive advantage to her because she had to work hard early in her race last-start and we don’t want to revisit that. We’d like to ride her with a sit and from third or fourth in a high-speed, pressure race she’ll be able to challenge in the straight.”

13. CHIDIAC (Brett and Georgie Cavanough, Scone): "Everything has been targeted at the Kosi since she was selected so she's had a good prep. She had a little hiccup on Monday (cardiac arrhythmia) which we rectified pretty quickly. I didn't miss it, I saw it on E-Trakka. What I saw told me we had an electrolyte imbalance and we rectified it. She had a solid gallop on Wednesday morning and she came through it with flying colours. Last start the fence wasn't the place to be, it was a hot race and we got back and didn't see a lot of clear air. They ran it at 100 miles and hour, the start before should we have beaten that horse? I think Jason will get a great run, I reckon there will be a lot of pressure up front."

14. SO YOU PENCE (Matthew Dale, Goulburn): “Drawn wide, so she’ll need luck early just to find her spot, but as a lightly-raced mare coming into a Kosciuszko she’s got no weight, she’s in good order and I think she’ll run better than her odds suggest. She’s been super consistent with her results coming through the grades and she’s a genuine racehorse. She can get a little bit fresh on race-day, but once she gets into the gates she’s a professional so that will stand her in good stead on a big day like this. I think she’s going to run a bold race at big odds.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday’s TAB Everest meeting at Randwick