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By Ray Hickson

Unbeaten mare Clear Thinking might be one of the early favourites for the Evergreen Turf Country Championships but co-trainer Paul Messara says black type will be the immediate focus if she secures a first-up TAB Highway (1200m) win at Randwick on Saturday.

Trainer Paul Messara (Pic: Steve Hart).

He’s not ruling out the rich country series altogether but feels the northern hemisphere bred daughter of Group 1 winner Sweet Idea would enhance her value more if she performs at stakes level.

Clear Thinking is on the third line of TAB’s pre-noms Evergreen Turf Country Championships Final market at $8.

“With her being a filly black type is the key for us, she has an international flavoured pedigree and having black type underpins that value,’’ Messara said.

“I’ve always marked her more as a sprinter than a 1400m and beyond horse. She has the attributes of a sprinting animal so I’ve earmarked a couple of races for her.

“If she was to come out and win nicely I’d probably have a swing at the Tristarc, and she’d probably have to win nicely to warrant getting into it.

“If she won a race like that she’s out of the Country Championships.”

The Group 3 Tristarc Stakes (1200m) is run at Randwick on February 15.

The five-year-old hasn’t raced since making it three from three when she ran down Tanglewood to win at her Highway debut back in July, and that saw her high in discussions for The Kosciuszko in which Tanglewood ultimately ran third.

As it turned out she sustained a minor injury and Messara elected to miss the spring but she showed she’s ready for a return with a barrier trial win earlier this month.

Messara, who co-trains with Leah Gavranich, is hopeful Clear Thinking can make it four from four but concedes she could be a touch vulnerable.

“I think she’ll need the run on Saturday, fitness wise I think she has plenty of improvement to come,’’ he said.

“She’s not the easiest one to get a handle on because she’s not a great trackworker, she doesn’t come and work the house down.

“You scratch your head then she goes off to the trials and trials nicely. She’s one of those horses that puts in when she needs to, otherwise she does enough in her work and you have to have a bit of faith in the horse.”

Aaron Bullock rides the mare, $3.10 with TAB on Wednesday, and while Messara said she’s proven herself on a wet track he doesn’t mind the prospect of resuming on firmer ground.

“The form says she prefers the sting out, I don’t think good ground would be a problem,’’ he said.

“She certainly can handle the cut out but I’d prefer it wasn’t a testing track first-up and we’ll see what she’s like on top of the ground.

“Those midfield barriers can sometimes be a bit awkward so there’ll be a bit of luck involved in finding a nice spot. I’d expect her to be midfield or somewhere thereabouts and hopefully finding a hole coming into the straight.”

Know Thyself is shaping as Messara and Gavranich’s major Country Championships prospect and he said the four-year-old, who was placed in the Group 3 Winx Guineas last start, is about a month off resuming after coming through his first trial on Wednesday in good shape.

Meanwhile, Group 3 winner Genzano really impressed Messara with her recent trial performance but he does wish he was able to give her a second going into the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale 9-11 Feb Handicap (1400m).

The mare had two runs during the Brisbane winter at stakes level and Messara said he’s taking a different approach to her first-up run this time around.

Clear Thinking wins a Muswellbrook trial on January 2

“She’s in good order, she trialled nicely at Muswellbrook in behind Clear Thinking and I thought she trialled better to be honest,” he said.

“She’s a little on the soft side, but she’s doing well. Every time I take her to the races she gives me the feel she wants 1100m or 1200m first-up.

“Then I take her there and I always think (after) I should have run her over a bit further so I elected to go 1400m and we’ll see what happens.”

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