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By Ray Hickson

There’s every chance promising three-year-old Farnicle’s spring will be over by the end of the month but co-trainer Adrian Bott says if he can win his next two starts it’ll go a long way toward setting up a big autumn campaign.

Trainer Adrian Bott (Pic: Grant Guy)

Farnicle is being set for the racing media double of Saturday’s Listed $500,000 Schweppes Tapp-Craig (1400m) and the $1 million Callander-Presnell (1600m) in two weeks.

He mixed it with boom Queenslander Cool Archie in the winter, notching a Group 2 placing, so Bott said he doesn’t want to overtax the colt in this campaign with bigger goals in mind in the new year.

“He was a late two-year-old who went through Queensland and ran well though he struggled on some of those tracks,’’ Bott said.

“This prep is all about trying to have him ready for the autumn where I feel he can improve again and be really effective at the mile.”

An eye-catching sixth in the Heritage Stakes (1100m), beaten just over a length by Golden Slipper winner Marhoona, was just what Bott wanted to see for his first-up run.

In that race Farnicle, $2.80 with TAB on Thursday, clocked the race’s fastest last 600m of 32.99 (Punter’s Intelligence) as he warmed up at the end of a trip that was always going to find him out.

“It was a really encouraging return, 1100m was going to be well short for him,’’ he said.

“He was able to find his feet and finish off the race really well. He was quite sharp against that level of competition.

“He’s a horse we thought profiles as a 1400m-1600m style of horse, now he’s out to his right trip. If he’s able to continue that progression he showed in that first-up run he looks very well placed.”

Bott, who co-trains with Gai Waterhouse, said jockey Tim Clark will have options from barrier two and he’d expect the rise in distance to see Farnicle much closer in the run.

“Naturally the speed over 1400m is different to what he would have felt last start. I was encouraged by the way he finished off in that tempo,’’ he said.

Stablemate Duke Of Arrakis was also sent north on the back of an impressive debut win and Bott said his first-up third behind Napoleonic last month was a solid return.

“It was a step too soon in Queensland, I thought he came back and resumed with a nice run in a race that had a bit of depth to it at Warwick Farm,’’ he said.

“He’s up to a more suitable trip, he was always going to be a horse that appreciates further, he gets the blinkers on and that may help him sharpen up and find that length or two I think he’s got.”

It’s been 15 years since Tulloch Lodge has won the Group 2 $2m Toyota Forklifts Hill Stakes (1900m) and Bott said it’s a race that should tell him a lot more about import Elamaz.

The six-year-old won the McKell Cup at his local debut back in June and while he finished fifth behind Birdman in the Kingston Town Stakes (2000m) three weeks ago it’s a run Bott isn’t too critical of.

“It wasn’t ideal for a first-up run particularly the way it was run, it was a strongly run race,’’ he said.

Farnicle runs sixth at Rosehill on September 27

“It brought him undone. He loomed into it really well, and just peaked on it. He may only be a 2000m max horse so slightly back in trip will help.”

Converge has also accepted for the Port Macquarie Cup (2000m) on Friday and Bott said while he’s disappointed in two runs back he’s looking for more ground so will have the chance to improve in either race.

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday’s meeting at Rosehill