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By Ray Hickson

Trainer Angela Davies won’t make any grand plans for her stable star Through The Cracks until she sees if the gelding backs up his sensational return with another strong performance in Saturday’s Listed $150,000 The Agency Carrington Stakes (1400m) at Randwick.

Trainer Angela Davies (Pic: Bradley)

The 2020 Provincial Championships winner had his first run in over 12 months, due to torn cartilage in his fetlock, when he charged into third in the Listed Christmas Classic (1200m) at Canterbury on January 7.

He meets the winner Prime Candidate 2kg better for a 1.5 length defeat and after clocking easily a race best 34.51 (Punter’s Intelligence) for his last 600m, Davies has the fingers crossed he can reproduce on a bigger track and up to a more suitable distance.

“I was absolutely delighted the way he returned in the Christmas Classic. He was just superb really,’’ Davies said.

“After 13 months off, it’s hard to get horses fit and ready and still to be fit enough to compete at that level. He’s just improved from there and I couldn’t be happier with him.”

Through The Cracks has won three of his four second-up attempts but Davies is wary that given such a long time off the scene he could be susceptible to the ‘second-up syndrome’, though she’s seen no signs of it at home.

“They have a run and then they can flatten off, especially not being in competition for quite a long time, but we just hope he returns in good order,’’ she said.

“When you are rehabbing horses and bringing them back and racing at that level I never get ahead of myself. There will be plenty of races for him through the autumn. We’ll find the right races for him if he stands up and remains sound.

“His weight is where it should be, he’s a happy horse and back to his normal self. If he worked with a Group 1 horse he’d go with it, if he worked with a mate he’d do the same.”

The seven-year-old was $4.20 favourite on Thursday with TAB for the Carrington and Davies said the barrier draw is of no consequence to him.

What she’s more concerned about is whether the tempo and Randwick pattern allows a horse like him to come into the race from the second half of the field.

“He always goes back, we’ve tried to ride him forward but he really does his own thing now,’’ she said.

“That’s why he can reel off such good sectionals late. We just hope it’s not leaderish with the rail out eight metres.

“I’d be happy to see a bit more rain, if it’s a quick track those forward will be hard to run down.”

The Gosford trainer is hopeful she can finally produce the talented mare Salina Dreaming in the ACY Securities Handicap (1100m) after a couple of false starts to her campaign.

The five-year-old is also coming off a lengthy break, having not started since mid-May due to requiring knee surgery and Davies has been forced to scratch her a couple of times for various reasons.

“We’re happy with her, as long as she remains well she will line up so long as the track doesn’t get too wet,’’ she said.

“It’s important for her that it doesn’t get too chopped up.”

Through The Cracks runs third at Canterbury on January 7

Around a soft 6 is where Davies will draw the line track condition wise, and her comments about not wanting a chopped up track are important.

Salina Dreaming, $3.40 favourite with TAB, doesn’t appreciate shifty ground and has a bad habit of cutting herself when galloping at speed in those conditions, that’s why her two barrier trials in December appear poor on paper and to the eye.

“The tracks were chopped up by the time she trialled, she cuts herself when she gets unbalanced and the last thing I wanted to happen was to have to have to patch her up,’’ she said.

“We kept her balanced and gave her fitness runs. She’s had another jump out since then and she’s fit and ready to go.

“You’d expect she’d have to be a winning chance, that she will race really well.”

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