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By Ray Hickson

It’s been a while between wins for flying mare Passeggiata but the Bjorn Baker stable is pinning its hopes on a return to her comfort zone at Warwick Farm on Wednesday to bring about a change of fortune.

Passeggiata has to turn around a last start failure, beaten eight lengths by Eye Of The Fire almost three weeks ago, but Baker’s assistant trainer Luke Hilton said the All Too Hard @ Vinery Stud Handicap (1000m) is her most suitable assignment for some time.

“She’s a fast filly and she gets over the top of the ground so a heavy track the other day didn’t play well with her,’’ Hilton said.

“Back on top of the ground and back to the 1000m hopefully that’s more her go.

“The run before it was full of merit, we felt she was getting somewhere back near her best.

“Now she’s able to get back to midweek grade we’d like to build a bit of confidence with her.”

She won three of her first four starts but has been winless since June last year, with four seconds from her nine subsequent starts.

The five-year-old, $5.50 with TAB on Tuesday, was run down by Confess Our Dreams over 1100m carrying 59kg in a Benchmark 78 at her previous start.

Passeggiata runs second at Rosehill on November 9

With the 3kg claim for Braith Nock she’ll carry 57kg in a Benchmark 72 so Hilton said she appears well placed.

He expects the instructions for Nock will be simple, to make use of her speed and an inside barrier.

“Braith rode a good winner on Friday night where he rolled to the front, I watched that with interest to see how he handled that horse and he looked to do it well,’’ he said.

“A small field makes a difference and drawing a good gate does too.”

Hilton said a decision to wait a few more days will give lightly raced mare Slinky a chance to notch a city win in the James Squire Handicap (1200m).

The four-year-old was initially going to run on Friday night but the stable felt the better option was to line up on her home track.

“We had her in Friday night and we would have come up against Gerringong so I’m glad we didn’t go there,’’ he said.

Slinky was beaten half a length by subsequent city winner Codetta at Kembla Grange last month then backed it up with a close up fourth at Canterbury two weeks ago.

“She’s been very honest so she’s going to give herself a chance,’’ Hilton said.

“We’re jumping back to the 1200m, she’s probably looking for that extra 100m, and she’s got a lovely soft draw to put herself right there.”

All the fields, form and replays for Wednesday’s Warwick Farm meeting