Nigel Blackiston will weigh up his options for in-form four-year-old Woodwin who is among the entries for Saturday's Provincial Plate at Flemington.The trainer, who will be without stable star Littorio until next autumn, said the other option for Woodwin was a heat of the Winter Championship a week later.Blackiston, who won the 2002 edition of the Provincial Plate with Another Trick, said he would decide later this week whether to test Woodwin over 1600 metres on Saturday or wait for the 1400 me

Nigel Blackiston will weigh up his options for in-form four-year-old Woodwin who is among the entries for Saturday's Provincial Plate at Flemington.

The trainer, who will be without stable star Littorio until next autumn, said the other option for Woodwin was a heat of the Winter Championship a week later.

Blackiston, who won the 2002 edition of the Provincial Plate with Another Trick, said he would decide later this week whether to test Woodwin over 1600 metres on Saturday or wait for the 1400 metre race the following week.

"I'm not definite about running him yet. I might leave him until the Winter Championship heat the following week at Flemington," Blackiston said.

"On paper the Provincial Plate is a nice race for him, but at this stage the 1400 metres might be a little bit more suitable with his style of racing.

"He bowls along out in front and the first time at Flemington over a mile just might be a bit of a question mark."

Woodwin landed his fourth win at his 15th start when he led throughout for a 2-1/4 length victory over Unapred in a 0-72 Hcp (1412m) at Echuca on May 19.

The Provincial Plate is restricted to horses who have started at least four times in non-metropolitan races in Australia over the past year.

It attracted 25 entries including Ulysses, Command Prince, Game Serena, and recent Sandown winners Starkron and Scenic Scene.

The All Victorian Sprint Series Heat 3 (1200m) also attracted 25 nominations including Time Matters, Stickpin, Pillar Of Hercules, Rok Posta, recent Straight Six winner Midnight Mustang and Straight Six runner-up Gran Sasso.

Meanwhile, Littorio will be given the time he needs to get over a bone problem which developed from racing on "rock hard" tracks last spring.

"(AJC Derby winner and Caulfield Cup runner-up) Nom Du Jeu has exactly the same thing. They are fine in their action, do everything right but when you trial or race them they seem to lose a little bit of acceleration," Blackiston said.

"With the sesamoid pushing into the back of the cannon bone they become very sore. It's a transition where the bone remodels and they just need time to recover.

"He had a good spell after the spring but obviously it wasn't long enough.

"I'll bring him back to do a little light work over the spring. He won't race but I'll bring him back in the autumn."

Blackiston said vet Michael Robinson of the Randwick Equine Clinic detected the problem, known as Palmar Condra, through scintigraphy, a diagnostic technique that uses radioactivity.

After four Group One placings, Littorio broke through at the highest level with his win over Master O'Reilly, Zipping and Pompeii Ruler in the Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington last October.

He started favourite and finished fifth to All The Good in the Caulfield Cup and was spelled after finishing 13th to Viewed in the Melbourne Cup.

The four-year-old was to have had two runs in Sydney over the autumn but was spelled after he finished last to Vision And Power in the Ryder Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill on April 4.