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Jamie Richards is banking on Entriviere being his latest Sydney carnival weapon.
After a bumpy start, Te Akau Racing's Jamie Richards is hoping to lay the foundations for another prosperous Sydney spring carnival with emerging mare Entriviere.
Richards has enjoyed tremendous success in Australia, plundering feature races with the likes of Te Akau Shark, Melody Belle and Probabeel.
But it hasn't been smooth sailing in Sydney this season, with Entriviere missing her scheduled first-up run in the Toy Show Quality due to a foot abscess, while three-year-old Sword Of State had to be scratched from the San Domenico Stakes when he returned poor blood results.
Both horses have recovered and while Sword Of State is still a couple of weeks away from his return, Entriviere will belatedly kick off her campaign in Saturday's Sheraco Stakes (1200m) at Kembla Grange.
"She came up with a bit of an abscess on the Thursday morning after she worked and it was just too close to the races unfortunately," Richards said of her withdrawal from the Toy Show.
"We had to take it easy with her for a bit, but she seems to be well over that now, which is encouraging.
"It was just a hiccup more than anything. I think she'll strip pretty ready there on Saturday."
Entriviere is on her second trip to Australia after finishing runner-up to Fasika in the Sapphire Stakes at Randwick during the autumn carnival.
Richards is counting on that experience holding her in good stead but is wary of the depth of talent in Sydney racing.
"She has probably settled in a bit better this time around and this time, she is coming in on fresh legs, whereas last time she was towards the back-end of her campaign," Richards said.
"You're never too confident over there because the depth of the horse is just so strong.
"But we believe she's good enough to be there and hopefully she can show on Saturday that she is."
Richards confirmed he has earmarked the $2 million The Invitation (1400m) as a goal for Entriviere.
He is hoping she can showcase her talents over the coming weeks and earn a berth in the fillies' and mares feature, which will be held at Randwick on October 23.
