By Bren O'Brien
Trainer Symon Wilde is hoping a strong performance first-up from homebred Inn Keeper (Host {Chi}) in Saturday's G2 Mittys McEwen S. at Moonee Valley can set the scene for a successful spring for his stable's most promising horses.
Now six, Inn Keeper has been twice stakes-placed in a career which has featured seven wins from 15 starts. Wilde said his autumn campaign, which included an eighth in the G1 The Goodwood, went awry but he is confident he is back in top form again.
"He had a bit of a mixed preparation last time. We set him for a Wangoom, and he ran very well first-up the start before and then had a bit of an abscess before being ridden upside down in that race," Wilde said.
"He was unlucky in Adelaide in The Goodwood, and after he pulled up in the Gold Topaz at Swan Hill, we found he had pulled a muscle in his forearm. We gave him three weeks off and then just brought him back into work. Hopefully all the bad luck got out of the way that prep and it’s smooth sailing this time in."
Inn Keeper
Inn Keeper's best form is up to winning Saturday's race, which features only one Group 1 winner in Booker (Written Tycoon). He was beaten only by subsequent Group 1 winner Voodoo Lad (I Am invincible) in the G3 John Monash S at Caulfield last July, while he was also placed in a G3 Spring S.
Wilde feels that he is yet to get to the bottom of Inn Keeper, given he is relatively lightly raced for a 6-year-old.
Being homebred out of the Wilde family's city-winning mare Petit Cadeau (Kingston Mill {USA}), the trainer never felt any pressure to rush Inn Keeper.
"My family and I usually just keep one mare to breed from and send them to cheap stallions. Host has proven a pretty good stallion," Wilde said. "His stats, runners to winners, is unbelievable and it cost me more to send the mare over to Adelaide than it did for his service fee."
Wilde also has a 2-year-old full brother to Inn Keeper on the farm and won’t be rushing him either.
"He's just turned two, and we've only just broken him in. He probably won't get to the races until he is three or four," he said.
Wilde approaches Saturday's race with a level of confidence having trained three winners in the past seven days, including Another Coldie (Snitzel), who won the opening race at Caulfield last Saturday, a 2400 metre handicap.
But it is Ginny Ann (War), who ran second when first-up at Sandown on Wednesday, which Wilde harbours big ambitions for, with the filly set on a path towards the G1 Thousand Guineas.
"I said to the owners after Wednesday's race, there is no reason to prevent us going to the Guineas after that. We will tailor a plan, and program around it, unless she proves otherwise."
Wilde also believes Sunday's Geelong winner Mischa (Street Boss {USA}) should measure up to a city race in the coming months, while the mare he rates as the stable's best, Nordic Symphony (Shamus Award) is nearing a return.
Nordic Symphony (outside)
She won a race at Flemington on ANZAC Day before finishing fifth, beaten only 1.5l in the G1 Schweppes Oaks at Morphettville last time in.
"She's developed beautifully in her break. She's only had seven weeks off but she's improved so much. I think the (G2) Matriarch S. is a race we can aim for. We might be aiming a bit high, but we can always come back a little bit. We will head her towards that and see where she can fit," he said.
Wilde said Nordic Symphony is set to resume in the next fortnight.
