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By Ray Hickson

Accredited is a little like Goldilocks.

His trainer Joe Pride says the consistent gelding doesn’t like a track that’s too hard, nor does he like one that’s too soft.

But from what he can see everything’s just right for Accredited in the Domeland Wyong Town Plate (1350m) on Saturday.

Pride is not backing away from the fact the six-year-old let him down when he was a beaten favourite in the Lough Neagh at Eagle Farm three weeks ago but is happy to excuse him.

“I took him up to Queensland the other day and the jock got off and said it was way too hard for him,’’ he said.

“That’s Eagle Farm at its worst, it gets a bit hard. It’s still disappointing but he does look like he’s got a valid excuse.

“At his best he’s the horse that ran second in the Hunter and ran well. At his worst he’s got a few chinks in his armour, he doesn’t like hard tracks and he doesn’t like real wet tracks.”

Accredited, $2.25 with TAB on Friday, was nailed on the post by his stablemate Estadio Mestalla first-up then as Pride mentioned he finished runner-up to another stablemate in Coal Crusher at Newcastle.

Accredited runs second in the Hunter

He was again close up behind subsequent Ingham winner Yorkshire in the Festival Stakes before his Eagle Farm venture.

“That’s the good form from the late spring period, he’s got to drag that deep into summer but I feel like he will,’’ he said.

“I think he’s pretty easy to predict, this is the easiest race he’s run in all prep so hopefully he gets the job done.”

Whenever Pride makes a gear change with a horse it attracts attention and he’s done that with Accredited but not the standard blinkers on gear change.

He’s elected to ask the gelding to wear winkers to change things up a bit.

“I wouldn’t say it’s scientific, it’s a pretty subtle gear change but I felt like I wanted to pull out something different with him for this run,’’ he said.

“He might go a bit hard in blinkers and I don’t want that. It’s not one of those gear changes that I believe is going to be a magic answer but it was worth trying something.”

On the subject of gear changes, Pride has the fingers crossed the blinkers will work wonders with Indefensible in the Lawrie McKinna Mayor’s Cup (1100m).

After a booming win on her home track the mare seemed disinterested and became detached from the field as a $3 chance on Boxing Day and found the task too tough as she ran fifth over 1000m.

Pride said she has the ability but is very much a take on trust proposition.

“I think I’ve worked out this prep that races below 1200m are best for her but she’s a bit unreliable,’’ he said.

“She runs too many bad races for my liking but beware the unreliable horse that’s not genuine when they get blinkers on first time. Hopefully that’s the key to her.”

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