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By Ray Hickson

It’s a good thing jockey Adam Hyeronimus has recent ‘form’ when it comes overcoming adversity to win a feature race because he’ll need to call upon all his nous if Estadio Mestalla is to win at Kembla Grange on Saturday.

Jockey Adam Hyeronimus (Pic: Bradley Photos).

The Joe Pride-trained gelding will jump from near the outside in the Group 3 $1 million Illawarra Mercury Gong (1600m) on the back up after also drawing out in The Hunter second-up.

While his first Group 1 of the spring on Beiwacht in the Golden Rose was fairly straightforward, Hyeronimus had to steer Headley Grange to victory for Pride in the Alan Brown from barrier 17 and he gave Attica a 10 out of 10 from gate 11 to win the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes.

He knows he can make the right moves when he’s on the right horse but in trying to take down Gringotts in The Gong he’d prefer not to be giving away such an advantage.

“It’s been a brilliant spring, it was nice to be able to get on some progressive horses that went to the right races and were able to execute well,’’ he said.

“But I have had no luck whatsoever in terms of barriers when I’ve been on a nice horse in a good race lately. It’s unfortunate but it’s just the way it is.

“It would have been nice to draw a soft gate because we are going to need a good bit of luck to fall our way to be winning.”

Estadio Mestalla, $6 with TAB on Thursday, wasn’t able to make The Gong field last year but won the consolation Benchmark 88 race in faster time than the feature.

So it’s no surprise that Pride set the race as one of his targets for the latter part of the spring and into summer and he showed he was in order winning at 1100m first-up.

He was the run of the race from the back in The Hunter, charging into sixth place and just two lengths behind his stablemate Coal Crusher, when stepping to 1300m just last weekend with the plan go straight to the mile on the seven day turnaround.

Hyeronimus said he couldn’t have expected a lot more from his run last week and will ride the gelding to how Pride feels will lead to the best result.

“I’ll be guided by what Joe wants me to do and what he has in mind,’’ he said.

“It’ll either be forward or back, I don’t see the use in trying to hope to get into a position midfield.

“He seems to be in a good frame of mind this preparation, he’s very willing to be there and be at the races so it makes my job easier.

“This has been a bit of a target for Joe with this horse but there are also other races coming up where he can be competitive.”

Sprinter Dragonstone returns for his fourth attempt at the Group 3 $300,000 MCR The Warra (1000m) with last year’s second placing his best result, though he did win the Benchmark 78 at the meeting in 2021.

He had the misfortune last year of bumping into Headwall and having to give him 6kg.

The gelding was only beaten a length by Estadio Mestalla in the Choisir over 1100m at Randwick where he set a fast pace and held on to run sixth.

“I have quite a good record with Dragonstone, he’s been contesting some strong races but if we can get some rain he gets in well at the weights,” Hyeronimus said.

“I think it’ll be D-Day for this preparation, though, we’d like to see him fire.”

Among his other rides, Hyeronimus suspects Dawn Service can set up his comeback preparation nicely in the ABAX Civil Handicap (1200m).

Estadio Mestalla runs sixth in The Hunter

It’ll be the well bred four-year-old’s first run since just before Christmas last year and the jockey says it’ll naturally be a little short of his preferred distance.

“He’s first-up off a long time off but he seems to be going well,’’ he said.

“He’s a big horse, but he maps to get a lovely run during the race. I think it will be a starting point to see him build a nice platform for the preparation.”

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