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By Ray Hickson

South Australian trainer Michael Hickmott wants a piece of the Big Dance and he feels he has the right horse to target the race in talented galloper Riverplate.

On the back of his impressive first-up win at Murray Bridge last month, his first run for Hickmott, the trainer pinpointed Sunday’s $60,000 Community Bank Narrandera Cup (1600m) as a prime opportunity.

If it weren’t for the lure of eligibility for the $3 million feature run at Randwick in November, Hickmott would have run Riverplate at Caulfield this weekend in a $130,000 race and not for half the prizemoney in country NSW.

“When he won first-up I sent an update out to the owners and I think they thought my head was on sideways when I’m coming back to them with a possibility of going to a Narrandera Cup,’’ Hickmott said.

“He’s going to be a six-year-old gelding and there's no other way he’ll ever qualify for a $3 million race as long as he lives.

“It’s a great option and it’s one thing that you have to take your hat off to Racing NSW for.”

Riverplate, $4.20 with TAB on Saturday, started his career with Andrew Campbell in New Zealand but has done the bulk of his racing under Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young.

When the gelding lost form through the summer he was sent to Hickmott and on the evidence of that first-up win, where he sat wide and powered away over 1400m, it was the right move.

“I train a lot of horses for that ownership group, one of my best mates Andrew Campbell purchased the horse in NZ and trained him there so I had a good bit of knowledge about him,’’ he said.

“He just trained off a little bit and I think (managing owner) Tommy Heptinstall and Trent discussed it and thought my farm environment might be good for him.

“Riverplate, strong late.”

The @mhbloodstock-trained galloper was far too good at Murray Bridge. pic.twitter.com/jyHtNGTW0N

— Racing.com (@Racing) June 15, 2024

“We train from an 800 acre farm on the heavy sand and he seems to enjoy it.”

Hickmott said generally Riverplate’s best performances have been when rolling along in front but his last start win showed a new side, and one that he likes very much.

He concedes it doesn’t look like a favourable map for Riverplate at Narrandera, as he’ll start closer to the outside than in, but has booked Nick Heywood, who has an over 20 per cent strike rate at the track, to ride.

“Visually it appeared a tough run but I wasn’t too worried because it kept the horse in a rhythm,’’ he said.

“He took a little while to get through his gears, normally he’s one of those nice free rolling horses.

“He’s a horse that has run through the clock a couple of times whereas I prefer to see him running through the line and that should carry him a long way.

“He’s trained on well, Todd Pannell galloped him on Tuesday on the course proper and couldn’t have been any more impressed by his work.”

All the fields, form and replays for Sunday’s Narrandera meeting