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By Ray Hickson

Jockey Rachel King isn’t taking the result for granted when she’s legged aboard Maurice’s Medad at Taree on Sunday but hopes the multiple stakes placed galloper can gain a ‘confidence booster’ from a significant drop in grade.

Jockey Rachel King.

King rode the Bjorn Baker-trained gelding in his only win to date, a maiden at Hawkesbury in April 2021, and it’s fair to say she didn’t expect he’d still be winless 18 months later and heading to Taree for a Class 1 and Maiden Plate.

He recorded a Listed placing in the Fernhill, behind Converge, after his maiden win at two and earlier this year was placed in the Albury Cup and was runner-up in the Group 3 Frank Packer Plate, after finishing seventh in the Group 1 ATC Derby.

“He won his maiden really well,’’ King said.

“He’s been aimed high but he’s been racing well in those races. It looked like he was going to snag one of those nice Group races early days but he hasn’t quite got there.

“Hopefully he can get the job done stepping back in class. It’s still a horse race, anything can happen, but hopefully it will give him a bit of confidence.

“I think that’s what he needs, they need to come back to get his nose in front and get that confidence and I’m sure he can step back up in grade.”

Maurice’s Medad, not surprisingly $1.40 with TAB on Saturday, has a 77 metropolitan rating so is thrown into the Hogan Plumbing Group Handicap (2000m) with 59kg.

He kicked off his campaign with a close third in Benchmark 88 grade at Rosehill back in September before Baker threw him into the $1 million Silver Eagle.

Baker has elected to put blinkers and a tongue tie on and King said while he only beat one horse home behind Rondino at Newcastle last weekend he wasn’t disgraced considering it was a Benchmark 88 city race.

“He didn’t stop but he just kept whacking away at that one speed,’’ she said.

“He is quite dour, they probably sprinted a bit better than him. If he can hold that good high cruising gear he’s got hopefully he can run them into the ground.”

Military Mission is King’s ride in the feature $100,000 Stacks Law Firm Taree Cup (2000m), for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, and she’s anticipating the import will improve on his first-up performance from Rosehill three weeks ago.

He started $7.50 in that Benchmark 88 over 1500m and King said he was also outsprinted at a trip short of his best.

“I feel like he’s come back really well, his trackwork and trials have been good,’’ she said.

“I thought his first-up run was good, he got into a rhythm but they had a bit more sprint than him."

The five-year-old has 63kg to contend with but King said that won’t be so concerning if he can land in his comfort zone in the first few.

Maurice’s Medad runs third at Rosehill in September

He was narrowly denied a hat-trick in the autumn when he carried 61kg to a close second behind Hameron at Gosford’s The Coast meeting back in May.

“He does have a lot of weight, that’s a little bit of a question mark because he’s not the biggest of horses, but coming from Gai and Adrian you know he’s going to be rock hard fit and ready to go,’’ she said.

“He’s always been in the first four, that’s where he’s happy.

“Every time I’ve won on him I sat second, third, fourth, to give him something to aim at. He’s progressed massively since he came over here and I think there is still more to come.”

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