3 minute read

A Victorian-trained veteran will be on trial for a sea change when he runs at Randwick.

If Victorian gelding Ballet Master acquits himself well at Randwick, he will be transferred to a new trainer, and he will do so with the blessing of his current conditioner Chris Hyland. 

Ballet Master enjoys rain-affected tracks and Hyland figures he is more chance of striking them consistently in Sydney this winter than he is in Melbourne. 

But given the difficulty of campaigning a horse interstate while he is ensconced at Cranbourne, Hyland believes the best solution is to hand him over to a Sydney-based trainer. 

As such, he has hatched a plan to run the horse under his name in Saturday's Uphire Handicap (1300m) at Randwick and if Ballet Master can pass that test and be competitive, the eight-year-old will remain in Sydney without him. 

"I said to the owners, I might train him up, get him ready and send him to Sydney to send to someone else," Hyland said. 

"The plan is to run him on Saturday and if he runs well, then he'll stay with (trainer) John Thompson and have a couple of months of racing up there if the tracks stay wet. 

"We don't seem to get the wet tracks like we used to in town here. 

"If he gets soft ground, he can run pretty well but he's getting to an age now where it will be his last season." 

Hyland stables his horses with Thompson whenever he travels to Sydney and has already broached the Randwick horseman about the potential move. 

Chad Schofield will partner Ballet Master from barrier eight on Saturday with the horse chasing his second win in Sydney after scoring over 1400m on a heavy track at Randwick two years ago.