TRAINER Glen Milligan would've loved a better barrier for Santatime, but he certainly hasn't given up hope of the three-year-old gelding breaking through for his first win in just his second start at Taree on Friday.
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Milligan says much will depend on how easy a run apprentice jockey Zac Wadick can give the horse in the Workwise Clothing Country Boosted Maiden Plate over 1007 metres without having to drop too far back from the outside barrier in a 12-horse field
"I was pretty confident until I saw he drew the outside gate," Milligan said. "It's not going to help, but he's come back well and he goes all right, this horse.
"Whatever he does on Friday he'll improve a hell of a lot on and when he gets over 1400 metres you'll see a better horse, but I believe he's still forward enough to run very well.
"I'll tell Zac to give him a bit of a squeeze out of the barrier to see if he can go forward. I'd like to be in the first four or five with the rail well out and the track likely to play leader-ish, but if he can't get there he can't get there.
"If that happens Zac will just have to put him in a position where he's as comfortable as he can be and hope he comes on from there."
Santatime made his debut late in his two-year-old season on June 27 of last year and finished second in a 1007-metre Maiden event at Taree.
He was well beaten by Tanglewood, but finished the race off well and the winner was a year older.
