SYMON Wilde will decide this morning if his boom galloper Gold Medals resumes in a class one handicap over 1200 metres at Warrnambool today.
Wilde, who trains in partnership with his dad Bill, said Gold Medals had thrived during his four-month break from the racetrack.
“He did very well during his break in the paddock,” Wilde said.
“He’s come back a bit stronger and bigger. We’ve got a very big opinion of the horse.
“We may run him today.
“It’s probably best to give him the run at Warrnambool. If we don’t go there, we would have to take him away somewhere else, to Terang or Camperdown, to give him one more trial before he starts.”
The trainer said he was not disappointed that Gold Medals had ran 12th in the $350,000 Sandown Guineas in November after running third in the $150,000 listed Hilton Stakes on the last day of the spring carnival in November.
“We just think his poor run in the Sandown Guineas was because it was his third run in three weeks,” Wilde said.
“He ran third in the Hilton and it was a sensational run.
“We’ve realised his best runs have been when he races outside horses.
“His only two bad runs have been when he was racing on the inside of horses.
“He drew barrier one in the Sandown Guineas and he didn’t like it.
“We’re expecting him to run well today if we run.”
Wilde said Gold Medals would be aimed at feature races at the Adelaide carnival.
“There’s a few nice races for three-year-olds coming up at the Adelaide Cup Carnival. We’ll be looking at races over 1400, 1600, 1800 and 2000 metres in Adelaide over the next few months,” he said.
Today’s Warrnambool meeting marks the start of the 2013 jumps season.
Nine horses have accepted for the maiden hurdle, while seven runners will face the starter in the open hurdle.
Champion jumps jockey Steven Pateman looks to hold all the aces in the two jumps races.
He will ride Sonny Wellington in the maiden hurdle and Our Rockhampton in the open hurdle.