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By Ray Hickson

The spring hasn’t gone to the script for Tyler Schiller and Fawkner Park but the jockey says a return to clockwise racing Randwick on Saturday should see him regain his best.

Tyler Schiller (Pic: Bradley Photos).

Fawkner Park was one of the favourites for Melbourne’s spring feature Cups on the back of his runaway win at Eagle Farm back in June but plans had to be changed when he failed in the Underwood Stakes a month ago.

Trainers Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald concluded he wasn’t producing his best in the anti-clockwise direction and Schiller said he could feel how uncomfortable the horse was first-up.

“I feel like he travels fine that way but as soon as he comes under pressure he doesn’t appreciate turning,’’ Schiller said.

“It’s not that he can’t go left handed it’s that he can’t get off the inside rail, he just hangs in going that way.

“In his last prep he did the same and when he came back to Albury, the Sydney way, they were worried he’d hang off the track but he never did.

“It is a strange one but he just doesn’t appreciate it.”

The gelding’s previous trip to Melbourne saw him run a fair fourth in the Australian Cup Prelude over 1800m then he claimed the Albury and Wagga Cup double.

He then continued his rise with a third in the Group 1 Doomben Cup and his easy Q22 win and Schiller said he has every reason to suggest he will find his form in the Group 3 $750,000 Cincotta Chemist Craven Plate (1800m), where he was $3.90 with TAB on Thursday.

“I’m pretty confident that he’ll bounce back,’’ Schiller said.

“His trial before he went to Melbourne was fine and I galloped him last week and he felt fine. So I’d be very surprised if he doesn’t bounce back.

“The only query would be the 1800m, I know he’s looking for further but he’s had that fair while between runs so I think he will be fresh enough.”

Schiller partners Amor Victorious for Bjorn Baker in the Listed $1 million Five Diamonds Prelude (1500m) and he’s wary that the bold front-runner may have to pivot a little from his usual style.

The presence of stablemate Iknowastar and the speedy Felix Majestic tells Schiller that it’s probable that he’ll need to be a touch more conservative.

Since the gelding’s all the way win in the Group 2 Shannon Stakes (1500m) he’s been back to the trials and Schiller said that trial behind Felix Majestic was educational given what might unfold on Saturday.

“Felix Majestic went pretty fast in that trial I felt like I was in a good rhythm sitting off him,’’ he said.

“My fellow is probably a bit more adaptable, I might even be sitting third depending on what Felix Majestic does.”

Amor Victorious rises 5.5kg on that Shannon win but Schiller said there was a heap of merit in the performance.

“I thought he was pretty impressive, it was my first sit on the horse,’’ he said.

Amor Victorious runs second in a Warwick Farm trial on October 15

“Bjorn pretty much said he doesn’t have a turn of foot but he’s tough as teak and to keep in a rolling rhythm and if there’s pressure early or midrace just make sure they keep going a genuine gallop.

“He ended up being able to hold the front and he was pretty tough late.”

Tyler Schiller on Belclare (race 8): “She was a touch keen (last start), when Punch Lane didn’t drop to the fence in front of us she wanted to over race up inside that horse. The blinkers off should be a positive more than a negative. She will get a lovely run and back to fillies and mares grade I think she is a bit better placed.”

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