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By Ray Hickson

Cross Talk has been thrust into stakes company a little sooner than Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott had planned but Bott says he shows all the makings of a promising galloper.

Trainer Adrian Bott. (Pic: Bradley Photos).

The lightly raced former Kiwi was always scheduled to run at Rosehill on Saturday but the Benchmark 88 he was due to contest was replaced by the Listed $160,000 ATC Foundation Winter Challenge (1500m), which was transferred from Randwick last week.

Bott said while skipping a few grades isn't ideal the major plus for Cross Talk is the 6kg drop on his victory at Randwick three weeks ago.

“We’re throwing him in that class a run or two prior to what we expected to, our hand was forced a little bit but it won’t be any detriment to him,’’ he said.

“He’s trained on well and seems in good shape. We’ve tried to keep a bit of time between runs for him.

“The only thing that has changed is the rating of the race we’re in.

“I think he can handle the step up. He has a nice light weight as a result of that.”

The four-year-old, $3.30 favourite with TAB on Thursday, will meet second favourite Jojo Was A Man 2kg better for being beaten three-quarters of a length when they clashed at Randwick in early June.

Since that run he showed Bott a glimpse of what his future could be as he relished a strong tempo and powered away to beat Titanium Power last start over 1400m.

“It was a pretty high pressure race last start which he enjoyed, I think the fact he was able to put himself on speed and absorb that level of pressure is encouraging for him stepping up to better graded races,’’ he said.

“We’re still an 82 rater and still have a while to go before we start looking too high.

“He was bought as a later maturing horse and one that would potentially get out over ground so it’ll be interesting to see how far he can develop in that sense.

“He definitely looks a strong miler. Maybe 2000m eventually.”

Whether Cross Talk progresses further this preparation will be determined after Saturday, a win could see a race like the Listed Rowley Mile (1600m) at Hawkesbury on August 18 come onto the radar.

“We’re mindful he has been up a little while this campaign,’’ Bott said.

“We wanted to leave a bit of room to progress. I wouldn’t imagine him staying on too long into the spring.”

Two-year-olds Athletica and Celestial Spirit tackle the Precise Air Handicap (1100m) with the former primed to lift on a solid first-up performance and the latter likely looking for more ground.

Bott is enthusiastic about Athletica’s chances after he finished fourth when resuming behind Midnight In Tokyo and Ture Crime at Randwick on July 9.

“I thought Athletica was excellent first up and there was improvement on the back of it,’’ he said.

“He probably got a pair further back than we would have liked in the run and he peaked being first-up. We expect him to be more effective this time round.”

Celestial Spirit only raced once in the autumn and was put away after failing in the Group 3 Magic Night behind subsequent Group 1 winner She’s Extreme and while she’s fitter for two recent trials Bott says she will come into her own later on.

Cross Talk wins at Randwick on July 9

“We always thought she was an above average filly,’’ he said.

“I think we will see a bit more from her once we can see her over a bit of a trip. When she drops back to the fillies in some of those classic races she might be more effective.”

Twilight Affair showed some promise in her first campaign, which ended with a third placing behind Rule Of Law at Rosehill in January, and Bott said she can run well in the NSWROA Trophy (1100m).

The rising five-year-old has trialled twice but has a tricky gate to contend with.

“She’s back in good shape. She’s shown plenty of ability to keep persevering at this stage of her career and I don’t think we’ve seen the best of her,’’ he said.

“I think she's versatile enough in the conditions, probably better on top of the ground, and I think she is a nice progressive mare.”

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