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By Ray Hickson

He’s been there from the start of the TAB Highway concept and in the 400th running at Randwick on Saturday trainer Danny Williams will send out one of his most promising horses in Kreon.

Trainer Danny Williams

The Goulburn trainer could have up to three runners in the race, with Atmospheric Rock top weight and Exit Fee third emergency, and a win by any would take his Highway tally to 28.5.

Over $33 million in prizemoney has been handed out exclusively to connections of country trained horses since the Highway inception in October 2015 and Williams said it’s a concept that has lifted country racing to new heights.

“I don’t think I could have existed without them, they’ve been my bread and butter,’’ Williams said.

“It’s been the greatest incentive for country racing ever done, in my opinion.

“I’ve seen the transition and the strength of them now is unbelievable. It’s brought stronger racing into country racing.

“It’s been the product that’s been able to have people confident about spending money in the country and having them trained for those races. It’s improved country racing significantly.”

Kreon is one of the more expensive horses Williams has purchased, at $375,000, and he’s long thought of the grey as a potential Group class horse.

To date he’s only raced the once for a runaway debut win at Gundagai back in November with immaturity his enemy and since then a bout of chondritis in the throat delayed his return.

“We’ve always had a high opinion of him but he was slower coming together than we expected,’’ Williams said.

“He’s just shown so much ability.

“When he came back (after his Gundagai win) he got chondritis of the throat, it’s been frustrating to see a horse so exciting as he is to miss all those two and three-year-old opportunities.

“But he’s come back enormous, when you see him in the enclosure you’ll see what I’m seeing. He’s a spectacular horse to look at.”

Williams booked James McDonald to ride Kreon in the TAB Highway (1100m) and he’ll race in blinkers, a sign that the trainer is serious about keeping his unbeaten record intact.

He didn’t trial in the blinkers but worked in them on Thursday morning and Williams said he was a different horse in the shades.

“We put the blinkers on because of the high expectation, we wanted to make sure he was focused and on the job,’’ he said.

“He hasn’t let us down as far as what we’ve seen at home and it’s good to see him back.”

Kreon, $2.60 with TAB on Friday, is also an acceptor for Goulburn on Sunday, as is Exit Fee, as a backup for being emergencies in the Highway.

Top weight Atmospheric Rock is back from his Country Championships campaign, where he finished midfield behind Asgarda, and Williams said it’s not beyond him to run well fresh despite the 62.5kg.

“I’m not too worried about the weight because he’s significantly back in class from the Country Championships,’’ he said.

“They seem to be able to carry weight over shorter distances. He’s come up really well, it’s just a matter of if it’s too sharp for him.”

Interestingly, if Exit Fee lines up in the Highway, on the back up from winning his maiden at Moruya last weekend, the trainer rates this lightly raced three-year-old to be Kreon’s biggest danger.

“He’s a horse with a lot of ability and he’d set up really well for this,’’ he said.

“He’s made significant improvement from his first start to his second. I have to be 100 per cent sure the horse has come through the run okay and if he’s to run he’d be the one to beat for Kreon.”

Kreon and Bandi's Boy trial at Moruya on August 5

Meanwhile, Williams is a little cool on the idea of running Bandi’s Boy in The Kosciuszko but will have a better idea of where he’s headed after Saturday's Group 3 $250,000 Hyland Race Colours Show County Quality (1200m).

The beaten Country Championships favourite won the Group 3 Star Kingdom in the autumn and that means he’d be conceding dual Kosciuszko winner 1kg if he was to line up.

Bandi Boy’s ran third in the same trial as Kreon at Moruya a few weeks ago and while drawn wide Williams said he will run well.

“He’s coming up really well and I expect a big preparation from him,’’ he said.

“He developed a few feet issues leading into the Championships and everything fell apart.

“I’m not expecting him to win first-up, we’re going into this with a view of hopefully getting him to the Sydney Stakes.”

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