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By Ray Hickson

Trainer Toby Edmonds’ gut feel about talented mare Vanna Girl is that she has the quality that will see her be competitive in next month’s Group 1 Epsom Handicap.

So there’s a level of expectation for her Sydney debut in the Group 2 $200,000 Drinkwise Tramway Stakes (1400m) but Edmonds is also realistic about the challenge that faces Vanna Girl from the outside barrier.

While the four-year-old has proven to be versatile in her 10 starts to date, for seven wins, the barrier will force Edmonds’ hand and she’ll be ridden conservatively for the greater good of the preparation.

“From the barrier she’ll have to go back, it probably suits me,’’ he said.

“The Epsom’s the goal and we don’t need to be sitting three or four wide first-up and having a gutbuster. So we’re happy to ride her nice and cold and let her finish off.’’

Vanna Girl served notice of her promise with a four start winning streak at the end of her autumn/winter campaign in Brisbane culminating in a dominant win in the Group 2 Roses (1800m) at Eagle Farm in June.

Edmonds said she had a good level of fitness when she returned from a short break and in addition to her official trial she’s also contested a jump out.

Reaching runs third at Newcastle on August 13

The mare was a $5 chance with TAB in the Tramway market on Thursday and sits on the $15 line in early betting for the Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) on October 3.

“It’s been a faultless preparation, she had one quiet trial and a nice jump out with other Group horses,’’ he said.

“She has residual fitness from last prep and is in good order. She’s a Group 2 winner here and we’re heading towards the Epsom so we want to make sure she’s up to it and see how she performs.

“All our back end figures from our form analysts say she’s up to these horses so I hope they are right.”

The Toby and Trent Edmonds training partnership’s Stradbroke Handicap winner Tyzone is due in Sydney next week to kick off his own Epsom campaign in the Group 2 Theo Marks Stakes (1300m).

The Tramway also sees the return of Australian Oaks winner Colette and trainer James Cummings is using the race to chart a road map through the spring with a young mare who took giant leaps in the autumn.

“She has challenges before her as a four-year-old,’’ Cummings said.

“She’s going well but has to defy history to some extent this spring to prove herself better than many recent Oaks winners.”

Colette, $7.50 with TAB, has been given the two barrier trials by Cummings, the first of those back on July 20, in what has been a steady build up to her spring.

She’s yet to win below a mile and kicks off at a much higher level than when she started her career back in December so Cummings remains guarded about her chances first-up.

“She’s returned from her spell a stronger-bodied mare who might nevertheless find herself out of her comfort zone over the 1400m on Saturday,” he said.

“There’s a smorgasbord of options for her this spring, which of them we choose will become clearer in time.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday's Randwick meeting