By Chris Roots
Newcastle trainer Phillip Atkins has picked Star Crossed back up after a tough start to his preparation in the heat of December and will test his autumn credentials in the Wilkes Quality at Randwick on Saturday.
Star Crossed has had a month between runs after running second as favourite against the older horses before nearly collapsing after the race on December 14.
"He was in a bad way. He didn't make it to the wash bays, we had to take water to him," Atkins said. "It took a couple of weeks for him to get over that but his last couple of weeks have been good.
"We have had an opinion of him but it is hard to know where he stands after that first run.
On guard: Guard Of Honour wins the Heritage Stakes at Randwick.Credit: bradleyphotos.com.au
"It was just a case of the finding a race for him, which was a bit hard, and waiting for it to cool down.
"It looks like he will get a good day on Saturday but he has run into a very good race."
Star Crossed has got a veterinary clearance since the Warwick farm effort and Atkins is well aware of the quality rivals he will be meeting, particularly fellow Newcastle colt Guard Of Honour.
"He [Guard Of Honour] is very smart, so it will give us a good guide on our bloke," Atkins said. "We get six kilos from him, which makes a big difference."
Star Crossed, a Starcraft three-year-old, has had only the three starts in three different preparations as Atkins tries to manage his career to get the best out of him, and had hoped to ease him through his grades.
"He is probably six months away from being at his best," Atkins said. "He has strengthened up but there is more to come.
"We just want to get through the run on Saturday before deciding what we will do."
Star Crossed is $5.50 chance on the limit weight of 53kg in a market where Guard Of Honour, which won Heritage Stakes in the spring, is the $2.80 Ladbrokes favourite, even under 59kg.
"He has been working well and it is a good place for him to start his campaign and gives us options going forward," Guard Of Honour's trainer Kris Lees said. "We have been able to get Hughie [Bowman] so we will get a guide on him going forward and I think he will be pretty sharp for the 1000m."
Spending To Win, which won first-up, is a $3.30 chance, while Tactical Advantage, which was scratched from Canterbury on Friday, is a $3.80 chance after winning both his runs this campaign
"He has had a little freshen between runs and I think he is sharp enough to really test these at 1000m," trainer James Cummings said. "He has that bit of racing behind him, which is always a help."
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