King Pedro faces tough challenge upon return

The spring campaign for King Pedro, initially aimed at major Cups, has hit a significant snag, but connections are hopeful of salvaging pride in the coming weeks.

Having impressively won the Grafton Cup (2350m) in July, King Pedro was on a path towards The Metropolitan before an unfortunate illness intervened and derailed those plans.

He is now set to resume in the Group 2 Hill Stakes (1900m) at Rosehill on Saturday. While still nominated for the Melbourne Cup (3200m), co-trainer Tom Charlton believes the prestigious race will come too soon for the horse.

"Realistically, the autumn is probably going to be his time," Charlton explained. "We left him in (the Melbourne Cup), but it was just in case. Unfortunately, he was due to follow a 'Metrop' path, but he got sick at the wrong time. This is short of his best and a bit off-plan, but it's the only race to get him going in."

Although his Metropolitan ambitions have been dashed, King Pedro retains residual fitness from his winter efforts and has shown positive signs in the stable since his return.

Lindermann, the previous year's winner, is the horse to beat in the Hill Stakes and is currently the $1.90 favourite. However, Charlton anticipates King Pedro, available at $15, will be a factor in the race.

"I'll be interested to see how he runs," he commented. "I wouldn't be surprised to see him run a good race. If the best Lindermann comes he's obviously pretty effective and hard to beat. This weekend will tell us a lot."

A strong showing in the Hill Stakes could see King Pedro targeted towards the Rosehill Gold Cup (2000m) at Randwick on October 31.

Stablemates Starzintheireyes and Mister Rizz were among the initial nominations for the Hill Stakes but were not acceptors. Both are instead entered in the Kia Ora Bloodlines To Headlines Handicap (2000m) on the same day's card.

Charlton advised that Mister Rizz is scheduled to start from barrier three, while a decision is pending on Starzintheireyes, who could either contest from the outside gate 13 or be redirected to the Group 3 Coongy Handicap (2000m) at Caulfield on Wednesday.

"'Starz' could have the option of the Coongy in Melbourne, but we'll just have a think," Charlton concluded. Keep an eye on the racing betting markets for King Pedro's performance.