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By Ray Hickson

Trainer Joe Pride is happy to strike In Flight’s last start from the record and is expecting the promising filly to bounce back at Rosehill on Saturday.

Trainer Joe Pride (Pic: Bradley Photos)

The Warwick Farm trainer has dual representation in the ATC Foundation Handicap (1100m) with Wild Botanica also lining up and Pride can make a case that her first-up effort should fall into the forgive file as well.

Both horses, each $8 with TAB on Friday, were well supported going into their respective unplaced efforts and while Pride doesn’t like pitting them against each other he sees no reason why they won't produce their best.

“I’m clashing a lot of horses I don’t want to be clashing at the moment, I think Wild Botanica is a smart mare as well,’’ Pride said.

“I wouldn’t think there is a lot between them and we will find out on Saturday.”

On the back of an impressive first-up win, In Flight started favourite when she ventured to Rosehill two weeks ago but had the misfortune of her race being run in driving rain, she was squeezed out at the start and from then on didn’t travel.

Pride said while that will go down as a heavy track failure he’s adamant the filly is a good wet tracker and that effort, sixth beaten almost eight lengths by Cigar Flick, is not a reliable pointer.

“It’s one of those cases of be careful what you wish for, she loves a wet track but that track got to a point where she didn’t like it,’’ he said.

“Every heavy track is different and rain on race day puts in a variable you can’t measure. She was dipping and diving and didn’t handle it.

“That will read as a run on a heavy 9, if she goes on to a heavy 10 where it hasn’t rained on race day I reckon she’ll like it.

“It’s a total forgive run but she was in there having a go, she’s a nice filly.”

The three-year-old jumps from the inside alley while Pride is more than content with Wild Bontanica drawing a little off the fence which will enable her to be ridden to what he’s confident is her strengths.

That wasn’t the case first-up where she was tucked away behind them and couldn’t build up the revs when finishing fourth behind stablemate The Black Cloud.

“If you look at her win at Warwick Farm, and I’ve only had her for a handful of runs, where she got to flow along, and you look at her run at Canterbury and Randwick, where she was ridden held up, it doesn’t suit her as much,’’ Pride said.

“I reckon she wants to be let run along, it doesn’t mean she has to lead but to be out and about.

“While I wouldn’t pick the draw it might not be as big a disadvantage as if she drew one or two and was parcelled up.”

Testator Silens was balloted from the Randwick race a week ago that Pride won with Excelladus and the trainer is a little bullish that, despite a wide barrier, the gelding is going to be a factor in the Rosehill Bowling Club Handicap (1300m).

He only beat a few home behind The Black Cloud when resuming but Pride said he was more than happy with the run over an unsuitable distance and with a tickover trial in between, and a soft track, he’s not to be undersold.

“I like this horse, he’s got plenty of courage. He’s a big strong horse, I could see him winning a few more races yet,’’ he said.

“I didn’t mind the run first-up at 1000m, it was always going to be too short for him but I thought his closing section was good. Straight to 1300m with that trial in between will suit him.”

Wild Botanica runs fourth at Randwick on May 25

Pride said it’s his preference that Cool Jakey doesn’t take up his usual on pace role when he resumes in the same race from near the outside.

“I don’t run many of mine with blinkers first-up and when I saw the draw I was glad I didn’t have them on him,’’ he said.

“When he gets blinkers on he rolls forward and if he has a tough run first-up it bottoms him out for the prep. He won’t be ridden forward first-up from that gate.”

Joe Pride on Principessa (race 4): “It wouldn’t be a surprise, she might show up on Saturday but it might be a case of one more run for her. I’d probably like her fourth up but she will be thereabouts.”

On Litle Cointreau (race 5): “He’s never run a bad race in his life. I’m going through this run of bad barriers at the moment, he’ll go back but he will get home hard. He’s a nice horse.”

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