Horologist faces stern test in Spring Stakes as autumn carnival looms

Chris Waller is not hesitant to immediately elevate Horologist from a maiden win to Group company, as he seeks to determine the colt's potential as an autumn carnival contender.

The highly-pedigreed son of acclaimed stallion Written Tycoon and Group 1 victor In Her Time, who was acquired for $1.8 million as a yearling, needs to quickly establish his credentials, especially being owned by a Coolmore-led syndicate focused on breeding stallions.

"He's a Coolmore colt, they're only interested in the top league in terms of making stallions," Waller remarked. "It's not a stallion-making race, but he has to be competitive, otherwise they get traded pretty quickly to Hong Kong, or here in Australia. We'll get him at this level, see where he's at and work out whether he's a Guineas horse in the autumn."

Horologist, who finished in the placings in his first two starts over the winter, made a compelling return with an impressive 1400m victory at Warwick Farm last month.

While his breeding suggests a natural inclination for speed, Waller believes the nature of his maiden success indicates he is capable of handling a 200-metre increase in distance.

"He was a really good winner first up and it was good to see," he commented. "He steps up to a mile and a Group Three race, but the way he won would suggest he can take that step. He's well bred, he's a good looking horse. They're horses who can take the step pretty easily."

Saturday's Spring Stakes (1600m) will also serve as a critical evaluation for the unbeaten Prince Of Verona, according to trainers Annabel and Rob Archibald.

The Castelvecchio gelding has demonstrated consistent improvement, progressing from wins at Bathurst and Goulburn to a midweek success at Warwick Farm, and his connections are eager to gauge his response to elevated stakes competition.

"I just love the way he's improved, and every time we've asked him to do a bit more, he has," said Rob Archibald. "He's got himself out of trouble once or twice on the way to here, and he's picked himself up and finished off really well. I think he's a really nice horse that is still a long way from the finished article. I'm excited to see him against some Saturday grade horses and we'll get a really good line on where he fits into his age group."

Following the scratching of Consulate, the Spring Stakes will feature a field of nine, which includes Horologist's stablemate Katoto, the sole filly in the line-up.

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