Redkirk on track for mile

Group 1 winning sprinter Redkirk Warrior (GB) (Notnowcato {GB}) is just one step away from a racetrack return after an impressive jumpout success at Flemington on Friday.

The dual winner of the G1 Newmarket Hcp won’t be aiming for a hat-trick of victories in the famous Flemington sprint, and is instead being campaigned towards the $5m All-Star Mile on March 16.

Co-trainer David Hayes said the 7-year-old would have a first-up run over 1200m, then two at 1400m before getting to his target race fourth-up.

"He is going to kick-off a bit underdone in the Australia Stakes (1200m Group 2 on January 25)," Hayes told Racing.com.

"Then hopefully he'll hit his form via the C.F. Orr Stakes and the Futurity Stakes so he can put his hand up for The All-Star Mile."

"I think at the weight-for-age level at The Valley first-up that he'll be a risk but it will set him up for a big autumn."

Redkirk Warrior won on debut over 2000m in the UK and was a winner over a mile in Hong Kong, so Hayes isn’t concerned by stepping him up in distance.

"He was a miler-2000-metre horse before he came to Australia … I think in the middle distance he'll be very, very good," he said.

"He's had one run in Melbourne over 1500m and he beat Stratum Star (Stratum), who's a Group 1 performer and that is good enough form for me."

Good Time to return

A trip back to stakes company awaits In Good Time (Time Thief) should she get through her first-up assignment at Rosehill on Saturday unscathed.

In Good Time, a winner of six of her ten starts, contests the Maurice Rolfe Hcp on Saturday, her first start since being well-beaten in a Group 3 race at Flemington on Melbourne Cup day.

Having won her first six starts, culminating in a stakes success at Scone, In Good Time failed to add to that record during the Melbourne spring, with her best performance in four starts a Listed placing at Geelong.

Trainer Tracey Bartley feels the mare has grown from that experience and is set for a big autumn.

"She needed racing in that company in Melbourne to make her lift up a bit," Bartley told RacingNSW.

“She’s perfectly placed really. She’ll get a nice run, she should be parked third or fourth on the fence and wait and hopefully have the last crack at them.’’

“She’s prepped up well, 59kg is all right for a mare that has won a stakes race and hopefully she can win.’’

Bartley wants to progress In Good Time to the G2 Breeders' classic at Warwick Farm in early February.

“We’re hoping she might be fitter than some of them early, that’s what we are banking on,’’ he said.

WA stud to stand Ducimus

Stakes-winning son of Snitzel, Ducimus, will stand at Rivercrest Park Stud in Western Australia in 2019.

Orbis Bloodstock confirmed the Western Australian-bred Ducimus, the winner of the Listed Talindert S. as a 2-year-old, would join Hvasstan and God Has Spoken at the Boyanup based farm.

Ducimus is one of four stakes winners from Beauty World (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), along with Hi World (High Chaparral {Ire}), Lite'n In My Veins (Henrythenavigator {USA}) and Loveyamadly (Bel Esprit).

A winner at Ballarat on debut, Ducimus, trained by Team Hawkes claimed stakes success at just his second start. He was then placed in the G3 Pago Pago S. at his next start.

All up he had nine starts for two wins and joins a raft of other sons of champion sire Snitzel at stud, including Russian Revolution, Invader, Jukebox, Shamus Award, Sizzling, Spill the Beans, Thronum and Wandjina.

Comeback pair eye Cup

Gary Vile is hoping his pair of comeback gallopers, Jacksstar (NZ) (Zed {NZ}) and Rock On (NZ) (Road To Rock) can make their presence felt in Saturday's G3 NZ Campus of Innovation & Sport Wellington Cup.

Vile paid tribute to his vets Tim Pearce and John O'Brien for nursing both stayers back to health and hopes they can repay the faith on Saturday.

“When a horse breaks down you have to be governed by your vets I think,” he said.

“We went through a process with Jacksstar with stem cells. He broke down in the Auckland Cup and tore all the main ligaments in his leg."

“He's been a real work in progress because he's had to grow a whole new tendon. Through the vets hard work and the owners' patience we've got him back.”

Rock On, a winner of six of his 34 starts, was on the path to the Wellington Cup last year when he suffered a similar setback.

“Rock On did a flexor tendon last year a week before the Cup and that was really hard to handle, because he was ready to go and he was weighted right at 53kg. It just meant box rest and paddock rest and bringing him back very slowly," Vile said.

“It's been 22 months in the making, they're both St Leger winners so they deserve their crack at two miles.”

"I think they can (win), which one I don't know,” he said. “I'd love to dead heat it.”

Rondinella ready to step up

A strong staying performance at Tauranga on Friday has co-trainer Roger James thinking of bigger things for well-related 4-year-old mare Rondinella (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}).

Rondinella had 2.25l to spare over her rivals in the Benchmark 82 handicap and James, who trains in partnership with Robert Wellwood, is confident she is finally ready to live up to her ability.

“I publicly labelled this mare a year ago and we have had our little problems with her, but hopefully they are all behind us,” James said.

“In retrospect it hasn’t been a bad thing because she’s about four inches higher than she was this time last year. She’s a big mare and I think she has got it all ahead of her.”

“I have no doubt she is up to a good Group race over this sort of trip at some stage of her career,” James said. “But she is just reaching maturity and we’ll probably just step her another one through the grades before we make any rash decisions.”

Rondinella is a half sister to three stakes winners, Catalonia {NZ}/Villanova (Aus) (Commands), Celebrity Dream (NZ) (Thorn Park) and Vavasour (Redoute's Choice).