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By Ray Hickson

Trainer Michael Costa is happy to back his gut feel that promising mare Purrfect Deal is an above average stayer and can be competitive at her Sydney debut at Randwick on Saturday.

The Gold Coast trainer, who has trained 14 winners from his last 50 starters, admits it is difficult to draw a line between her form and that of her rivals in the Listed $140,000 De Bortoli Wines Christmas Cup (2400m).

But her form, which reads four wins from six starts including a dominant last start win at Doomben over 2030m, warrants the fact finding mission.

“I’d love to know, I don’t think there’s any other way of doing it,’’ Costa said.

“You’ve got to take her as a horse somewhat on the up and she is throwing good enough time figures over the last 600m but it becomes a different kettle of fish when you’re coming into a firmer grade.

“Generally we’d take them through the grades and run her in a couple more benchmark races up here but with the calendar not playing in favour of that, and being at the back end of the prep, we’re going to have a throw at the stumps.

“I wouldn’t be bringing her down if I thought she was no chance.”

Purrfect Deal wins at Doomben on November 28

The four-year-old cost just $16,000 and has already returned $85,000 from her six starts with the promise of plenty more to come.

In her latest win, Purrfect Deal settled third on the fence and engaged in a bumping duel to get into the clear then once she balanced up she quickly put a couple of lengths on her rivals.

It’s that turn of foot which Costa says stands the Dundeel mare in good stead as the fresh blood in the Christmas Cup where she’s a $9 chance with TAB.

“She’s taken a step forward to be fair off the back of her last run,’’ he said.

“It does look like she will improve with the distance, you never know until the rubber hits the road, but you look at some of her figures and she’s a filly that can run home in 33-something over a little bit of journey.

“There’s no definitive form line to map it out so we’ll just throw her in the deep end and see what happens.”

Prior to moving to the Gold Coast in 2016, Costa trained at Warwick Farm and his journey in racing has also included a four year stint as a steward.

He has engaged Andrew Gibbons to ride Purrfect Deal, saying he was keen to find a jockey who could take advantage of the true weight of 53kg, and it’s a partnership that realised a Grafton Guineas win with Reus in July.

“We gave Andrew our Grafton Guineas winner and he rode it a 10 out of 10 so with a Kembla meeting being on we decided to reward him with the ride and hopefully he can produce another ride like that,’’ he said.

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