By Chris Roots
Premier trainer Chris Waller was tempted to run Catkins in Saturday's Guy Walter Stakes but the group 1 lure of the Canterbury Stakes made him wait a week.
The talented mare is unbeaten in two runs against her own sex this preparation and the 1300m group 1 against all comers will be a good test.
Unbeaten this preparation: Hugh Bowman rides Catkins to win the Blackwoods Sidchrome Millie Fox Stakes at Rosehill on February 21.Credit: Getty Images
"It is the right race for her at this time of her preparation and if she can win a group 1 now it would be a bonus," Waller said. "A group 1 is what is left for her to do, that's why I waited, but we still have our eyes on the Queen Of The Turf.
"She has the advantage of being race-fit against the weight-for-age horses. She will put herself in the race and it will just be a question if she is good enough."
Waller will have a trio of runners in the Canterbury Stakes with Royal Descent and dual Doncaster winner Sacred Falls starting their autumn campaigns.
Royal Descent beat Cox Plate winner Adelaide in an exhibition gallop at Warwick Farm on Saturday, running her last 600m in 34.2 seconds to the pleasure of Waller. The five-year-old mare has been one of the unluckiest horses not to have added to her only group 1 win in the Australian Oaks.
She has been runner-up in four group 1s, the George Main Stakes twice, as well as a Doncaster and an Epsom Handicap.
"She is another one of those horses that always gives her best and is never far away," Waller said. "Her form in the spring was fantastic. She had five runs for four seconds and then didn't handle the hard track in the Cox Plate. She could have easily won a couple of those races.
"She is in fine order heading into this race and that gallop showed she is up to the mark."
Waller is expecting Sacred Falls to run his usual first-up race as he prepares to tries to win the Doncaster Mile for the third year in a row.
The Canterbury Stakes will see the return of star three-year-old Rubick, Manawanui and Leebaz from Team Hawkes after Leebaz trialled at Warwick Farm on Friday.
"This is what we usually do with Leebaz [starting him around the 1300m mark]. He has been very good this time in and we expect him to run a very good race," co-trainer Michael Hawkes said.
Meanwhile, boom sprinter Deep Field has returned to Sydney after running third to Lankan Rupee in the Lightning Stakes as favourite and could run in the Challenge Stakes at Randwick on Saturday.
"He is back up here [in Sydney] and will be nominated for the Challenge Stakes but we'll have a look at what he does this week before making a final decision if runs on the weekend," Hawkes said.