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Murwillumbah trainer Steven Wise has been eyeing a place in the Kosciuszko for most of the year with lightly raced galloper Valiant and to that end he’s always known his plan to resume at Lismore on Thursday was a risky one.
That's because it's two weeks after the draw of the 14 slot winners in the Kosciuszko and as the six-year-old resumes in the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Untamed Sprint (1210m) there are only a couple of places left.
However, even if all 14 slots are filled nothing is locked in until the final acceptances in the week of the $1.3 million country feature so it's important to Wise that Valiant wins and wins well.
"It's Thursday, or no day,'' he said.
"Our whole aim and focus was to try and get a Kosciuszko berth, whether it is this year or next year. We let him have a good spell and brought him back in time for the Kosciuszko."
Valiant, $4 with TAB on Wednesday, hasn't raced for exactly 12 months since he maintained his unbeaten record for Wise in winning the Untamed Sprint by almost two lengths.
The story since then has been frustrating to say the least. Three days before he was due to have his next start last spring he tore a chest muscle and developed a hematoma that reached the size of about half a football.
It needed to be drained and because the awkward placement of stitches needed three months off. When he returned to be prepared for the Country Championships a bad foot abscess put paid to that campaign and Wise set his sights on the Kosciuszko.
The gelding cost $1.6 million as a yearling and had his first two starts for Peter and Paul Snowden, winning a Hawkesbury maiden, and when he resurfaced after almost two years between runs he had been snapped up by Wise for $11,000.
"We've waited for so long, we've had him two years and only had two starts,'' he said.
"The way things are looking it is all falling into place, he's 100 per cent sound."
It's easy to notice that Valiant hasn't had any official trials but Wise said he's had plenty of work, swimming in salt water and contested a number of jump outs at Murwillumbah over 600m and 800m.
That fact is keeping him from being overly bullish. But he's still quite bullish as it is that the horse will produce.
"He's probably only 90 per cent, he hasn't got the race fitness on his side, but he has the ability to win the race he's in and hopefully impress the last slot holder enough to consider giving him a chance,'' he said.
"I think he's more than capable of doing it. If I had an official trial I'd be 100 per cent confident he'd come out and show a blistering performance.
"He has a ton of early speed and hopefully he will dictate the race, roll them along and use the turn of foot in the straight. That'll be the plan of attack."
Interestingly, Wise said if Valiant wins at Lismore but doesn't gain a start in the Kosciuszko he'll consider tackling the Group 3 Sydney Stakes on the same day.
