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By Ray Hickson

Plenty of work is being poured into unlocking the potential in three-year-old Crossways and the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr stable will be hoping to see the fruits of it at Canterbury on Wednesday.

Ben Elam (Pic: Bradley Photos).

The colt was the early favourite for his debut two weeks ago before drifting and the Price/Kent yard’s Sydney assistant trainer Ben Elam said that Warwick Farm race just didn’t work for him.

So with a completely different scenario, having significantly drawn an inside gate, in the Kia Ora Bloodlines To Headlines Handicap (1100m) there’s some optimism from Elam that things can turn around quickly.

“We’re trying to make that horse, create a racehorse out of him,’’ Elam said.

“In his trials he likes to go fast. He chased a speed that was frantic at his debut so if we can get a softer run race, even if something does cross him, it will help educate him to be a racehorse and be tractable.

“There’s no doubting the horse’s ability, what we see at home and in trials we know he has above average ability. We just need to see it on race day.”

Zac Lloyd partners Crossways, $2.40 with TAB on Tuesday, for the first time on race day but he’s certainly no stranger to the colt having partnered him in four of his five trials.

Elam said Lloyd will be given an open book to ride the horse as he sees him, knowing if he springs from the gates as he usually does there’ll be options.

“Naturally he’s pretty fast out of the gates, his first five to 10 strides he puts himself there,’’ he said.

“Whether he’s in front or taking a sit, Zac knows the horse better than anyone else, hopefully we get a kinder run race and the result is different.”

Gatwick was an impressive all the way maiden win three weeks back and she’s also come up with the inside gate in the Asahi Super Dry Handicap (1200m) though Elam said the stable is on weather watch to a degree.

Wary she didn’t appreciate what most thought was heavy ground at Echuca in May, he said they’ll wait until close to scratching time to assess what sort of surface Canterbury will be.

“A heavy track at a metropolitan surface is probably going to be a lot cleaner ground,’’ he said.

“We’re aiming to run. It was a soft 6 last start and she skimmed across the surface because it was nice, clean, soft ground.

“She’s only come on from that run a few weeks ago, she presents there in tip top shape, and if everything falls with green ticks on it she’ll be hard to beat.”

It was a lucrative maiden win for Gatwick, in addition to the $48,000 for the Super Maiden win she collected a BOBS bonus plus a $100,000 Inglis bonus.

Elam said it was good to see her live up to her early potential and is confident if the decision is made to run she will perform.

“We’ve always had a good opinion of her,’’ he said.

“When we took her to Hawkesbury for a maiden a little while ago we thought she’d prove hard to beat. She had a niggle after that but it’s fine we cleaned it up.

“We’re going to hold fire until 7.30 on race morning to make sure the ground is not too wet.”

A sharp jump in distance, coupled with a class rise, ultimately proved too much for Skycatcher but Elam says he can improve back onto a heavy track in the TAB Handicap (1900m).

The gelding won at Canterbury over 1550m in late May on heavy ground but was beaten three lengths by Nobler, and subsequent winner King Pedro, when stepping to 2000m on June 13.

“It was a race that was very messy in the middle stages as he wasn’t comfortable on the day,’’ he said.

Gatwick wins at Canterbury on June 17

“It wasn’t a forget run but we’re persevering with 2000m because we think that’s going to be his trip.

“If he can chime in midfield with a bit of cover, I don’t think you’ll see us burning forward or dragging back, it might be better for him being on the outside of horses.

“He has superior wet track form out of NZ but if we can get a kinder run race and be on the outside of horses hopefully he’s storming home.”

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