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By Ray Hickson

Trainer Joe Pride is a little cautious about his Kiwi recruit Aberlour heading into her local debut at Rosehill on Saturday but is adamant the filly’s future is a bright one.

Joe Pride (Pic: Steve Hart)

A dual stakes winner in New Zealand earlier this year, Pride won the race to secure the filly from former trainer Kelvin Tyler, who remains in the ownership, and is confident the potential is there for her to measure up in Australia.

However, when it comes to The Agency Real Estate Handicap (1400m) the trainer prefers to err on the conservative side until he sees her under race conditions.

“I think the form will stack up well. She’s doing it all as an immature filly so the improvement is there,’’ Pride said.

“I don’t want to buy a horse who’s just won the two best races she’s ever going to win, I want to buy a horse with upside.

“I’ve found with these Kiwi horses, and she’s typical of that, they take a little while to get used to my way of training.

“I’m looking at her as a horse more for the spring and especially the autumn of next year. To get to that point we’ve got to do a bit of racing with her, she’s coping really well so I’m happy to send her to the races.

“She will look a bit plain in the coat on Saturday but she trialled really well.”

Aberlour, $4.60 with TAB on Thursday, has trialled three times for Pride with the latest an all the way win over 1200m at Warwick Farm.

She won three races on end for Tyler, and will race in the same colours as King Of The Castle who he prepared prior to joining the Pride stable, including the Gore Guineas (1335m) in January and the Southland Guineas (1600m) at Invercargill in February - and a feature has been her bold front running style.

Pride is using Zac Wadick’s 3kg claim to offset the 61.5kg and said while she’s drawn well first-up he’s not hell bent on leading.

“I’m not exactly sure what to expect from her,’’ he said.

“Off her trial I would have thought she’d run well but she’s not a big filly and she has a fair bit of weight to carry. I don’t use a lot of claimers but I thought in this instance it was good to take a few kilos off her back with Zac on.

“Once she’s fit she basically runs her opposition into the ground. I don’t think we will be trying those kinds of tactics with her first start in Australia.

“I would expect her to run well but with massive improvement to come, and that might not necessarily be this prep but for the future I do think she is going to make the grade.

“I’m not opposed to her leading and if they want to go nice and quick they can have it.

“I want to give her the best experience I can for her first start knowing what improvement is to come down the track.”

The Warwick Farm trainer finds it hard to split promising fillies In Flight and Cosmonova in the Precise Air Handicap (1100m) and believes they should be a little closer in the market than the $6 and $8.50 respectively on Thursday.

While In Flight is a last start Rosehill winner, two weeks ago, Cosmonova is chasing her first city win but Pride said the latter is a lot better suited than when she resumed on her home track.

He said it’s not ideal that the duo clash but last week’s washout forced his hand.

“I don’t think there’s that much between them,’’ he said.

“The three Proven (Thoroughbreds) fillies, the Black Cloud being the other one, I think I’ve done a good job so far separating them but this one was inevitable after they called the races off last Saturday.

“At the start of the prep I thought there was nothing between Cosmonova and The Black Cloud.

Aberlour wins a Warwick Farm trial on June 17

“She’s gone on with it and won a couple of Saturday races, Cosmonova has only had one run and looked a touch disappointing but she’s a little filly who carried 59.5kg on a heavy track so I’d be forgiving of that run.

“They’ve both drawn well and I want to run them both.”

Joe Pride on Testator Silens (race 9): “One of my favourite horses in the stable. A big, tough, strong gelding who gives you everything he’s got. He’s only won once since he’s been up here but it’s like he’s never beaten. Even when he’s in a position and can’t get the winner he never stops trying. I really think he’s been looking for this kind of trip. In all of his runs his best work is always that last furlong, and I think the combination of Nash (Rawiller) will work well.”

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