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There’s already some black type against blueblood mare Call Di’s name and co-trainer Sterling Alexiou would like to think she can pick up a valuable stakes win sometime this spring.
The four-year-old, by Frankel out of Samantha Miss, makes a low key return in the Exceedance @ Vinery Stud Handicap (1400m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
While Sterling Alexiou, who co-trains with Gerald Ryan, said she's done everything right at home and she's in the right race to start off given her rating he'd like to think she can make her way back up in grade.
"She's still only a 72 so options for her are limited at the moment but we'd like to think we can pick off a couple of benchmark races early in her preparation,'' he said.
"Then we can start to aim our sights a bit higher with her."
Nash Rawiller rode Call Di in her closing third behind Alligator Blood in her recent 900m trial but with Rawiller suspended Tim Clark takes the ride on Saturday, where she was $3.40 on Thursday with TAB.
"She seems to have come back well,'' Alexiou said.
"She spelled well, they did a good job with her at Strawberry Hills, she put on good condition. We're happy with her trial the other day in a good quality trial.
"You'd like to think she'd be in with some sort of hope."
Call Di won a 1400m maiden at the start of her autumn and was then placed in the Group 2 Angus Armanasco (1600m) and ran fourth in the Group 3 Kembla Grange Classic (1600m) before finding the 2000m beyond her in the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes.
Alexiou said those four starts told the stable a lot about the mare.
"She's always shown us quite a bit, we learned a bit about her that she's probably a bit too brilliant to stretch her out past a mile at this stage,'' he said.
"She's a bit light mouthed and you've got to have her where she's happy and in her rhythm. Whether that is right up on top of the speed or, if they are going quicker, a bit further back.
"At home she has a dynamite turn of foot. The day you see her in a fast run seven (furlongs) or a mile I think she has a nice race in her."
Banana Queen let punters down with her first-up defeat but Alexiou warned against overlooking her in the TAB Handicap (1400m) saying her failure to settle early proved costly.
The five-year-old started $2.70 when fifth under 59kg behind Anagain at Randwick two weeks ago.
"We were pretty happy with her fitness levels and how she looked,'' he said.
"She just raced a bit fresh and keen the other day and it just told the last 100m, she definitely presented like a winner. Nash thought the way she raced in the first half impacted on the finish.
"Dropping to 52kg against a few horses first-up in the same boat she was the other day I'd like to think if she could get the right sort of run she could be right in the finish."
Sterling Alexiou on Green Shadows (race 7): "He had a couple of little setbacks this time in, nothing major, and continuity in racing is always ideal. His fitness levels are okay and while he's a horse that doesn't win out of turn and he's found a race he can be competitive in. He'll improve off the run and he's never far away, he always runs a good race."
On Smashing Eagle (race 10): "It was a hard luck tale the other day and he had the flashing light on. I think he is the sort of horse that does appreciate being held up for one crack at them like that. Although he should have gone very close, and was probably a good thing beaten, I think that's the way you've got to ride him."
