Tough stayer Exoteric can justify the decision to race him for another season by winning at Doomben.
Exoteric will have a sharp drop in class when he tackles Saturday’s TAB Open Handicap (2200m).
Premier Sydney trainer Chris Waller has won about 40 middle distance and staying races in Queensland since he opened a Gold Coast stable two years ago.
Waller recently culled some of his older stayers who are now racing in areas from Darwin to Cairns to Victoria.
Seven-year-old Exoteric is one of those who remained and Queensland stable manager Paul Shailer is confident it is the correct decision.
Exoteric will be having his first run since finishing seventh in the Queensland Cup (3200m) on July 20.
His previous runs were unplaced efforts in the Premier’s Cup, Brisbane Cup, Caloundra Cup, and Grafton Cup which were all black-type races.
“Exoteric will really appreciate the drop back to a Saturday open handicap,” Shailer said.
“Although he has won in stakes company in Sydney he is probably a couple of lengths off black-type at this stage of his career.
“But the horse is going really well and he should be right in the finish on Saturday.”
Exoteric has won nine races in a career which started in England and he will go past $500,000 in prize money if he wins on Saturday.
“He has only been over the Doomben 2200 metres three times for two seconds and a fourth,” Shailer said.
The stable will have three runners – Torgersen, Alward and Vaucluse Bay – in the other open company race at Doomben, the Kelly Schweida Handicap (1600m).
Shailer said all three were down in class on their recent starts which gave them all a chance.
“Torgersen needs to start winning again and Alward has been running in strong Melbourne races,” he said.
Vaucluse Bay was third in the Grafton Cup on July 11 and despite dropping back to 1600 metres has a good Doomben record.
Waller, who finished equal second on the Brisbane metropolitan premiership with Toby Edmonds last season, started the new term with a trifecta in the final race at Doomben last week.
“We had a mixed day but it was good to get off the mark with a winner on the first day of the season,” Shailer said.