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By Ray Hickson

Trainer David Vandyke says four months of planning has gone into having Group 1 winner Gypsy Goddess at her best to fire her one spring carnival shot in Saturday’s $10m XXXX Golden Eagle (1500m) at Rosehill Gardens.

Trainer David Vandyke.

After winning her first five starts the mare measured up to the top level against her own age last season with placings in the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes and ATC Oaks before taking out the Queensland Oaks in June.

It’ll be no easy task to win a Golden Eagle first-up, the Sunshine Coast based trainer admits, with a capacity field of high class four-year-olds but everything in the lead up has told Vandyke the horse is on the right track.

“This has been our goal since the end of last prep,’’ he said.

“This will be her one and only run.

“We thought we’ll give her a light spring, she had a fairly arduous three-year-old year which saw her finish on top of the pile, and we wanted to be kind to her this prep.

“Just give her the one run and 1500m appeared ideal especially when you consider the prizemoney on offer.”

Gypsy Goddess, $16 with TAB on Wednesday, hasn’t finished further back than third in her nine starts to date and she boasts an unbeaten first-up record plus she’s five from five on good tracks.

So Vandyke is confident he knows where she’s at for a first-up run and is now just hopeful the Rosehill track has improved enough through the week for the conditions to not be an excuse.

She drew ideally in barrier six and after trialling in blinkers last week will wear the shades in the Golden Eagle to keep a spark about her to get the best possible result.

“She gives me the feeling of being a bit more dour this time around hence the reason I’ve put the blinkers on,’’ he said.

“I think the winner will probably have had a degree of luck.

“If she runs home and runs in the first half of the field there is very good prizemoney on offer and if she was to run top five it’d be fantastic.

“The sun’s out, we’ve got a good barrier and Willie Pike so there’s not much to complain about.”

Consistent six-year-old Weona Smartone surprised Vandyke a little with his close third in the Group 3 Sydney Stakes on Everest Day so he's prepared to roll the dice again in the $3m Nature Strip Stakes (1300m).

Gypsy Goddess runs third in a Warwick Farm trial on October 18

A winner of nine from 13, the gelding has changed his ways this preparation and Vandyke said that’s probably the key to him stepping up in grade.

“He used to charge and was very much a horse that raced on pace,’’ he said.

“It’s only been his last two starts that he’s got a new string to his bow where he’s relaxing behind the speed.

“I was delighted with his performance in the Sydney Stakes. He’s come through that run in excellent condition and it’d be lovely if he could finish in the first half, that would be a good result for him.”

Pike also riders Weona Smartone on Saturday.

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday's Golden Eagle meeting at Rosehill