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By Ray Hickson

It’s a hit and run mission for Golden Slipper runner-up Coleman in his return to Rosehill on Saturday as trainer Matt Laurie sets the colt up for a Group 1 target.

Trainer Matt Laurie (Pic: Bradley Photos).

Coleman has taken on Group 1 weight-for-age company in his two runs this season, finishing sixth in both the Moir and Manikato Stakes at Moonee Valley, so the Group 2 $300,000 Canadian Club Roman Consul Stakes (1200m) represents a drop in grade Laurie said is hard to ignore.

“You’ve got a whole range of races there depending on how things play out for you in the early part of their campaigns, this obviously looks ideal for him,’’ Laurie said.

“It’s a rung down on what he’s been doing of late so we’re pretty optimistic.

“We’ve done our part, found the right race. I took him up to Sydney in the middle of last week so we didn’t much around.

“His work on Tuesday was first class. I’m pretty happy with the horse so hopefully it’s a matter of knocking this off and we still have time to being him back to Melbourne and give him a quiet trial before the Coolmore.”

In three starts in Sydney in the autumn, Coleman was third in the Pago Pago before he backed up a week later and was touched out by Lady Of Camelot in the Slipper then he was beaten a length when third in the Group 1 Inglis Sires’.

Coleman, $3.60 with TAB on Thursday, raced three back on the fence from barrier one in the Manikato and Laurie is looking forward to getting back onto a more spacious track.

“That track is probably not conducive to getting the best out of him,’’ he said.

“We tried our hand and he wasn’t far off them and certainly in the Manikato he didn’t quite have the run we wanted.

“He just has to run up to his Manikato run and I’m expecting him to improve significantly on a bigger track.”

The Mornington trainer said a middle barrier in the Roman Consul gives Kerrin McEvoy plenty of options as he looks to get back into winning form ahead of the Coolmore Stud Stakes.

“He could be anywhere from outside the leader to second or third pair, it depends on how they leave the gates,’’ he said.

“Kerrin sticking with the horse gives us confidence.

“We’re pretty hopeful at some point he’ll be landing a big prize. He’s been training well all preparation and it just hasn’t happened for him yet.”

While the Roman Consul is a step down for Coleman, Yoshinobu faces his biggest test after two provincial wins this spring and co-trainer Rob Archibald said on Sky Sports Radio it’ll provide a good measuring stick for him and Annabel Neasham.

Coleman runs second in the Golden Slipper

The colt was a narrow maiden winner first-up at Wyong before a runaway win at Newcastle earned him another look at a Group 2 having debuted in the Silver Slipper.

“He’s a progressive horse, he hasn’t done anything wrong this prep,’’ Archibald said.

“He’s won his two starts but this is a much tougher ask. Drawn well, we feel he deserves his chance and we’ll know where he sits amongst all those after Saturday.”

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