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By Ray Hickson

A couple of significant scratchings have raised John Sargent’s hopes that lightly raced three-year-old Flying Orchid can mount a case at Rosehill on Saturday for a Group 1 berth later this month.

Trainer John Sargent (Pic: Bradley Photos).

He feels the defections of early favourites Within The Law and Federalist have opened up the Group 3 $250,000 Drinkwise Gloaming Stakes (1800m).

Sargent said he has no qualms about backing the gelding up from his third placing in the Dulcify last weekend and it’s now over to him to earn a shot at the Group 1 $2m Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) in two weeks.

“It’s a field of lower class horses and it’s who steps up on the day,’’ Sargent said.

“He’d want to win this to go to the Spring Champion because that will go up another level.

“But it will let us know where we are in the pecking order.”

Flying Orchid, $6 with TAB on Friday, let Sargent down with his midfield finish in the Ming Dynasty, though it was off a month between runs, but he said his Dulcify placing was a step in the right direction.

Interestingly, the gelding’s breeding doesn’t scream a middle distance galloper – he’s by Flying Artie out of a Hinchinbrook mare who was unraced – but Sargent said his laid back nature is working in his favour as the distances increase.

“It was a lot better than the run before, that was more like it, he should improve with it,’’ he said.

“He has a good draw and we can ride him accordingly.

“Gai's will go, they’ll jump and run, and he should be able to get behind them and get relaxed. Rosehill is different to Randwick you’ve got to be there.

“At three they can often do it against their own age group and run further. This will tell us and if he doesn’t run it out he could come back to the mile.”

Apprentice Mitch Stapleford will get a feel for in-form gelding Vetwelve in the Midway Handicap (1400m) as he’s set to ride the horse in the Four Pillars next month.

The four-year-old ran a closing third behind Meridiana at his first run for about six weeks and Sargent said Stapleford’s 3kg will not only come in handy on Saturday but moreso on November 1 if he happens to win.

“He’s right in the zone and it’s a nice race for him to try and pull off,” he said.

“Mitch is going to ride him in the Four Pillars and he’ll get a lot of weight there. The 3kg is more than (Molly Bourke’s) 2kg and he’ll need that if he wins on Saturday.”

Flying Orchid runs third at Randwick on October 4

John Sargent on Nordic Viking (race 5): “He’ll have to get back from the draw but he should be hitting the line strong. He’ll go down for the Carbine Club after that. His best chance is if they are running along.”

On Palmetto (race 8): “Hopefully he can come back and run better than last start, he just went too hard. He should be better just relaxed behind the speed. On his day he could run a place, it’s an open field so you have to have a go.”

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