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By Ray Hickson

Talented colt Spin will be thrown straight back into Group company if he can shake off his maiden tag as expected with a confidence boosting win at Kembla Grange on Saturday.

Trainer Peter Snowden (Pic: Steve Hart).

Trainer Peter Snowden said Spin has been a much more committed galloper in his work and trials than what punters saw in his two-year-old season.

“He’s been going true and straight, leaving his mate and winning well in track gallops. His commitment is a lot better than last time,’’ Snowden said.

“He’s a bit more seasoned and he seems a lot more genuine.’’

Spin will start a very short priced favourite in the Berkeley Maiden Plate (1200m) at Kembla Grange as befits a horse with a Group 2 and two Group 3 placings from six starts.

His last appearance was in the Group 1 Inglis Sires’ (1400m) during The Championships where he was beaten 1.7 lengths by El Dorado Dreaming.

While there is a three-year-old race at Randwick on Saturday, Snowden said Spin would have received too much weight given his record.

“We had to start him somewhere and try to get a win with him and a set weights maiden was the best we could find,’’ he said.

“It’s a good place to kick him off.’’

Snowden has earmarked the Group 3 Up And Coming Stakes (1300m) at Royal Randwick on August 18 as Spin’s next start assuming he’s a comfortable first-up winner. He's also nominated for the Group 1 Golden Rose.

The three-year-old impressed Snowden with his barrier trials leading into his return and is confident the horse will perform in similar fashion on race day.

“I really liked both his trials, he did something he hasn’t done before in going up to a horse and going straight past them and put a widening margin on them,’’ he said.

“It’s what I wanted to see. If you think back to the Baillieu (on March 31) he was going to go straight to the leaders but he wandered in and out and that’s something he hasn’t done this time through.’’

Spin easily takes out his barrier trial at Rosehill on July 23

Last start midweek winners Smartedge and Island Missile return to Saturday company at Randwick and Snowden expects both to hold their form in their respective races.

Smartedge is the $3 TAB favourite in the ATC Owner Benefits Card Handicap (1200m) while Island Missile is $2.80 to win the Half Yearly Membership Handicap (1400m).

“They found it a bit hard to win on a Saturday so we went back to the midweeks,’’ Snowden said.

“They won well and they had to, to warrant going back. They are in their right races to get their chance.’’

Smartedge overcame an on pace pattern to win at Canterbury, Punters Intel data shows he ran 35.47 for his last 600m, the second fastest of the race, and Snowden said it was a better win than it looks.

“Nothing won all day from back where he was,’’ he said.

“I told Blake (Shinn) you can’t go around and win, things fell in place for him but he was good enough to do it. He blundered really badly at the furlong and picked himself up and still won.’’

Meanwhile, Everest champ Redzel kicks off his defence in an 800m trial at Gosford on Monday.

The six-year-old won’t wear his blinkers in the trial, which Snowden said will be an easy one, and he’ll trial again on August 20 prior to a first-up run in the Group 3 Concorde Stakes (1000m) on September 1 – the race which began his climb towards Everest in 2017.

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday's meeting at Kembla Grange