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By Ray Hickson

Jockey Ashley Morgan, riding a wave of confidence following his Group 1 breakthrough, will head to Randwick on Saturday believing both his rides are winning chances.

Jockey Ashley Morgan (Pic: Bradley Photos).

One of them was a $3.80 chance with TAB on Thursday and the other, a ride he chased, was $34.

Morgan’s association with unbeaten Galaxy winner Private Harry has given him the boost he felt he was building toward when he won his first stakes race on New Year’s Day.

So he’ll ride early favourite Matcha Latte in the $1m Polytrack Provincial-Midway Championships Final (1400m) and outsider Warmonger in the Group 1 $2m Schweppes Sydney Cup (3200m) with the same level of belief.

“I’ve always believed I could perform at that level but it was getting that opportunity,’’ Morgan said.

“Harry has given me the platform to show what I can do. I feel like I’m riding better than ever and I feel more confident than ever.”

One ride on Matcha Latte, an all the way win a Newcastle Qualifier last month, was enough to tell Morgan the gelding is one of the major chances in the Provincial-Midway Championships.

The Sara Ryan-trained five-year-old has only won two races but his career has been a checkered one through injury after showing a heap of promise as a two and three-year-old.

“He’d had a decent break before his first run so he was always going to improve and I thought there was more improvement to come,’’ Morgan said.

“He was dominant on that day and he gave me the feel he can be a bit adaptable on Saturday.

“He’s run good races off pace and leading. I think he’s pretty bombproof and we’ve drawn a lovely gate to be able to give us the option on what we do.

“His three-year-old form was great and even his placing in the Cameron was good too. He’s always been in really competitive, high class, races so it’s a drop in grade for him coming back to this series.

“I feel like he’s a horse looking for a mile so a high pressure 1400m at Randwick is going to suit him.”

Interestingly, Morgan and his manager Drew Smith identified Warmonger as an ideal ride in the Sydney Cup and he was rapt to secure it.

After watching last year’s Queensland Derby winner run second behind Cup favourite Alalcance a month ago he felt the four-year-old was right on track and is more than happy to forgive a last start failure at weight-for-age.

“That’s a ride at the weights I picked out with my manager,’’ Morgan said.

“I thought when he won that Derby he was a perfect horse for this type of race.

“He had a tough run the other day and it was hard to get a guide on how he is going because he didn’t get a chance to run to his best.”

Warmonger, who won the Queensland Derby by 10 lengths, has drawn near the outside in the Cup but Morgan said given he’s not too far from the favourite he’s banking on using her to put him in a good position.

Matcha Latte wins a Newcastle Qualifier on March 20

“I’d like to be fairly forward and I think it will actually work out well from the gate,’’ he said.

“He feels like he’s a free flowing horse and there’s a lot of time until we get past the winning post first time so I’ll try to keep him in a rhythm.”

All the fields, form and replays for Day 2 of The Star Championships at Randwick