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By Ray Hickson

Trainer Phillip Stokes is certain when the penny drops with promising three-year-old Regal Award it’ll be a sight to behold.

Trainer Phillip Stokes (Pic: Bradley Photos).

And he’d like to think the gelding is well placed to underline his potential at his second Sydney start in the Listed $200,000 Bisley Workwear South Pacific Classic (1400m) at Randwick on Saturday.

Regal Award went to pieces, according to Stokes, in the Darby Munro as he didn’t handle the clockwise direction around the Rosehill bend before he balanced up and closed off to finish midfield.

He’s added a tongue tie to the horse’s gear in the hope it’ll help him travel better as he steps up to his preferred distance range.

“It was the first time the Sydney way of going and he did a lot wrong,’’ Stokes said.

“We feel he’s made good progress in the three weeks he’s been there and hopefully he doesn’t come unstuck on race day.

“He got on his wrong leg, he hung off, and then he closed late. It was all very new to him. He was doing things wrong in Melbourne too so he’s a horse that is still very raw.

“The 1400m I think is his ideal trip so let’s hope he can stand up on race day and run a nice race.”

A feature of Regal Award’s two wins from his seven starts to date has been dominating his races on the speed and settling a lot more forward is something Stokes is expecting.

He won his maiden at Sandown in September from the front and when he went to Caulfield on October 15 he put up a margin 7-1/2 lengths which saw him start odds on in the Carbine Club where he was run down by Panova.

“I’d like to see him right up there, I think that’s his strength,’’ Stokes said.

“He’ll get his chance and we’ll see where he’s at. I hope the penny will drop soon, we’ve been patient with him.

“I think sending him up to Rosehill and leaving him there has been the making of him so I hope that with the work we’ve put into him we’ll see something very nice.”

Stokes has pencilled in the Group 3 Hawkesbury Guineas (1400m) on May 2 for Regal Award, $3.50 with TAB on Thursday, if he produces at Randwick, he’ll likely head to the Bendigo Guineas if he doesn’t.

“This is the fork in the road and we feel we’ve got him going very well into it,” he said.

Adelaide Cup runner-up Highland Bling has been in Sydney for a few weeks since his narrow defeat in that race and Stokes is happy to give him his chance in the Group 1 $2 million Schweppes Sydney Cup (3200m).

The gelding was considered particularly slow by Stokes when he first took charge of him but he has proven effective over the more gruelling distances.

“I’m not sure where (the Adelaide Cup) puts him in the pecking order,’’ Stokes said.

Regal Award's first-up run in the Darby Munro

“I could see him running a nice race, I don’t know if he could win it. I’ve had a few runners in the race, I don’t know if he has a lot of class but he can stay.

“I’d love to see him fighting out the finish. I never thought he’d get to the Sydney Cup when I first got him, I thought he was one of the slowest horses in the stable.”

All the fields, form and replays for Day 2 of The Championships at Randwick on Saturday