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By Ray Hickson

It’s normal practice for champion trainer Chris Waller to have raced his two-year-olds sparingly as the new year ticks over but he has two youngsters engaged at Randwick on Saturday he says we’ll be hearing a lot more of as 2020 progresses.

Trainer Chris Waller (Pic: Bradley Photos).

They are $1.7m Exceed And Excel colt Osamu and $300,000 Frankel filly Hungry Heart though Waller said the latter might be saved for another day after she drew awkwardly in the Hyland Race Colours Handicap (1150m) on the Kensington track.

Both two-year-olds trialled on Monday and in Hungry Heart’s case it was her first trial and Waller famously doesn’t rush his youngsters but it’ll be all systems go for Osamu.

“He's a very nice horse, we gave him a very quiet trial on Monday because he is racing (on Saturday),’’ Waller said of Osamu.

“He's drawn well, James (McDonald) knows the horse well and I think he will be an autumn two-year-old.

“Hungry Heart is a talented Frankel filly with quite a bit of speed, I'm not sure she will run from that barrier (nine).

“She's a special filly and hence the reason I’m not sure I will run her, I might just keep her in cotton wool at the moment.’’

So far, Breeders’ Plate winner Global Quest is Waller’s lone two-year-old winner for the season from just 11 starters.

Osamu won a trial under McDonald on December 17 but as Waller alluded his sixth of seven on Monday was basically his main piece of work for the week.

He’s a $5.50 chance with TAB while Hungry Heart was rated $4.80 on Friday morning with all eyes on the final scratchings come Saturday morning.

Waller produces arguably the most interesting horse engaged at Randwick in Japanese import Admire Robson, who is one of three stablemates in the Maroubra Mile (1550m), for his first start since May 2018.

The six-year-old is the outsider of the field, but still kept somewhat safe, at $15 and Waller said he’s only going to improve on what he does first-up from such a long break.

“Obviously he is a talented horse, I'd like to see him win on Saturday but I wouldn't expect him to win,’’ he said.

Admire Robson has won four of his nine starts and only finished out of the placings once, for a fourth placing at his last race start over 2400m.

“He's a standard overseas, European type horse who needs a bit of distance to see his best,’’ Waller said.

“We've seen horses sprint well fresh and we hope that with him but when they've been off the scene that long, and you take them quietly to get them back to the races, they are certainly far from tuned up.’’

Osamu wins a trial at Rosehill on December 17

There’s a sense of déjà vu about the Maroubra Mile as Waller won the race last year with Gresham while New Universe finished in third place and they will renew rivalries with Bjorn Baker's Sir Plush who ran second.

It’s fair to say Gresham isn’t going as well as he was 12 months ago while New Universe will only be second-up after an even effort to run fifth behind Passage Of Time two weeks ago.

Waller said New Universe ($6.50) is well suited while he’s just hopeful Gresham ($14), who carried just 49kg to win last year and will have 1kg more on Saturday, can reclaim his best form.

“His first-up run was very good, he didn't have any luck and it is his type of race,’’ he said of New Universe.

“Gresham had that one failure, last start was a bit better. He’s in a higher grade now and carrying weight and it’s hard to get those horses back in form.

“So we have gone with a stronger race, less weight and the claim.’’

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