Champion jockey Craig Williams is set to extend his impressive spring carnival run after landing the mount on Condelago in the Group Two Sandown Guineas (1600m).Williams has ridden a carnival-high 10 winners since the Turnbull Stakes meeting at Flemington on October 3, including the Brazilian Pulse in the Group One VRC Oaks.Condelago spearheads a strong book of feature race rides on Saturday for Williams which also includes Persian Star (Sandown Cup), Token Of Honour (Group Three Eclipse Stakes)
Champion jockey Craig Williams is set to extend his impressive spring carnival run after landing the mount on Condelago in the Group Two Sandown Guineas (1600m).
Williams has ridden a carnival-high 10 winners since the Turnbull Stakes meeting at Flemington on October 3, including the Brazilian Pulse in the Group One VRC Oaks.
Condelago spearheads a strong book of feature race rides on Saturday for Williams which also includes Persian Star (Sandown Cup), Token Of Honour (Group Three Eclipse Stakes), Jersey Lily (Listed Summoned Stakes) and Riverina's Girl (Listed Twilight Glow Stakes).
Williams' manager Mark Guest chased the ride on Condelago after the gelding's Carbine Club jockey Nash Rawiller elected to ride Pressday in the Guineas.
Murray Bridge trainer Mick Huxtable is pleased to get Williams when he is in such hot form.
He said the Sandown Guineas had been Condelago's spring goal since June when he won his third two-year-old race in a row at Morphettville.
"After he won the third one on the trot we gave him a break to aim him at Sandown," Huxtable said.
"It has been the plan all along and he has been ticking along quite nicely."
Condelago was a half neck behind Goldstone when third in the Carbine Club to Mr Chard, who has since been spelled.
Huxtable said Condelago didn't have much luck in the Derby Day Group Three race and would get his chance to turn the tables on Goldstone on Saturday.
"He should have run second last start but got held up and had to get back around a tiring horse," Huxtable said.
The Carbine Club was Condelago's first test at 1600 metres.
Huxtable was hopeful that his top mare Moment In Time would be his headline horse this spring but Condelago could upstage her.
Last Saturday Moment In Time was a fast-closing sixth to Well Rounded in the Group Two Matriarch Stakes (2000m) after finishing fourth to Lady Lynette in the Group Three Tesio Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley.
She finished second in both races last year.
Nash Rawiller has won twice on the Chris Waller-trained Pressday, including Brisbane's Group One T J Smith (1600m).
Last start the talented colt lost all chance when he reared as the gates opened in the Group One Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on Derby Day and finished 11th.
Also among the 14 Guineas nominations are the first three placegetters in last Saturday's Hilton Stakes - Bigelow, Yorkshire Lad and Territory.