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By Ray Hickson

There’s a real sense from jockey Tim Clark that classy three-year-old Converge is going to signal he’ll be in for a big autumn campaign when he resumes at Randwick on Saturday.

Jockey Tim Clark (Pic: Steve Hart).

The gelding is already a Group 1 winner but arguably fell into the forgotten horse category after he only raced once in the spring while his contemporaries had their chance to shine.

If he was forgotten, the son of Frankel has reminded everyone in his trials ahead of the Group 3 $160,000 Petaluma Eskimo Prince Stakes (1200m) that he’s on good terms with himself.

Converge sprinted sharply to win his latest trial over 1000m at Randwick on January 24.

“He couldn’t be going better so I’m really happy with where he’s at,’’ Clark said.

“He’s done everything right. He obviously had a setback in the spring with a virus but he went out and had a good break and came back in early.

“It’s only a trial and he has to replicate that on race day but he was there to have a nice hitout leading into a first-up run and he had that. It should have him well and truly fit enough to go first-up.

“He was kept busy as a two-year-old but had that easy spring so he should have no excuses come the autumn.”

While Converge is being set by trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott for longer races than the Eskimo Prince he’s been respected by the market, as $4.40 second elect with TAB on Thursday.

In the Group 1 Randwick Guineas (1600m) he’s a $15 chance, he’s $11 in the Group 1 Rosehill Guineas (1600m) and $26 in the Group 1 Doncaster Mile (1600m).

He’s a rare Waterhouse/Bott product that produces his best when ridden off the speed and Clark feels from gate one over 1200m that’s the likely scenario.

“There doesn’t look to be a lot of speed at first glance but we will jump and travel where he’s comfortable and hopefully he can show that electric turn of foot he did in the trial,’’ he said.

“As long as he races well, whether that means he wins or not though it’d be nice to see a winning return, that what we want to see.

“If he was to win first-up it would send an ominous warning for his competitors later on in the autumn.”

Waterhouse and Bott elected to split Converge and stablemate Silent Impact, who was also declared in the Eskimo Prince, much to Clark’s delight as he’ll partner the latter in the TAB Handicap (1200m).

Silent Impact has always had a quiet rap on him and impressed Clark with his first-up win at Randwick over 1100m two weeks ago. He feels he’ll handle taking on the older horses.

In that win the gelding clocked a last 600m of 33.46 including the race’s fastest final 200m of 11.70 (Punter’s Intelligence).

“I thought he did a really good job, he got further back than we thought but I liked the way he got to the line,’’ he said.

“He’s going to be hard to beat, he will be able to get on speed a bit easier at 1200m and that will assist him.

Converge wins a Randwick trial on January 24

“He’s building a nice record, he’s improving all the time, he’s not the finished article yet but he continues to improve.”

Tim Clark’s comments on some of his other Randwick rides:

Plymstock (race 1, $5): It’s always a difficult task to win on debut and I thought she did the job nicely. I’m looking forward to seeing if she can repeat that performance, I like what she did in her debut and I like the determination she showed late. Naturally you’d like to think she had a bit of improvement to come and hopefully she can take that into her second start and be more effective.”

Athletica (race 6, $31): “He seems to be a bit more relaxed this time so that’s going to help him get out over a bit further. He only had a short break but he needed the trial the other day so that will bring him on. He ran well in the Inglis Nursery so he has form around all the right horses but he will still need to go up a notch.”

Lackeen (race 10, $6): “Last start is how he likes to race, smothered away a bit. He appreciates that and hopefully he can repeat the performance. He drops in weight and he won’t know himself carrying it, that’s going to make it a bit easier trying to go back to back. He closed off really well the other day, he ran good figures, and if he can hold that sort of form there’s no reason why he can’t do it again.”

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