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By Ray Hickson

It’ll be 420 days since honest galloper Grand Piano’s last win when he walks onto Rosehill on Saturday and trainer John Thompson is banking on the strength of Nash Rawiller to break the drought.

Trainer John Thompson (Pic: Steve Hart)

The four-year-old has had three starts since returning to Thompson’s care, following a preparation with Steve O’Halloran, and he’s confident he has the horse close to the sort of form that saw him win four from five last time he was in the stable.

Thompson said he elected to miss last week’s Listed Civic Stakes in preference for the Lynette Lamphee Memorial (1500m), a Benchmark 88 race, to give him his best chance to post a win.

After a narrow defeat to New Arrangement, conceding 5.5kg, at Randwick three weeks ago he’ll carry 60.5kg and meet that horse 4kg better and that’s where Rawiller is crucial.

“My only worry is the weight because he’s not a big horse but that’s why I put Nash on,’’ Thompson said.

“I don’t think he’s an apprentice’s horse, he needs a strong rider, and with Nash on he’ll have no dead weight. I think it’s the dead weight that stops horses.

“I don’t want to get too far back with the bigger weight so we’ll be looking to box seat up to the 1500m.”

Grand Piano, $6 with TAB on Thursday, was strongest at the finish in his clash with New Arrangement on June 12, running the fastest last 200m of 12.02 (Punter's Intelligence) as he tried to rally back.

Thompson said the gelding is showing all the signs of being a happy horse and just needs the breaks to go his way to get back on top.

“I ran him in the sprint race at Gosford knowing it was too short for him but his next couple of runs have been fantastic,’’ he said.

“I think he’s still got more wins in him. I thought he was a good thing in Queensland and just went down, I think James McDonald got me there, and the other day he was consistent again.

“It was just the weight difference. It’s hard to say whether he’s back to his best because he hasn’t won yet but I think he’s back in good form.

“He’s a lovely little horse and he’s honest when he’s happy.”

Zariya might be an outsider as she jumps sharply in grade in the Cleanaway Handicap (1300m) at her third race start but Thompson says she’s a horse to follow.

The filly produced a late surge to score over 1250m at Canterbury on June 9, a win that came with quite a rap from jockey Hugh Bowman, and it wouldn’t shock Thompson if she figured in the placings.

Grand Piano runs second at Randwick on June 12

“She’s a nice staying filly in the making, she’s a prep away, she won nicely the other day at midweek level,’’ he said.

“Coming to the corner I was gaining confidence, she was held up around the corner and had to ease off heels. As that happened they sprinted. The biggest positive was that Hughie was a big rap for her.

“I’d prefer it to be a bit further but she will run well at big odds.”

Zariya, with Tim Clark riding, was at $26 with TAB on Thursday.

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