It has taken longer than anticipated but trainer Chris Waller believes Danleigh will be at peak fitness for Saturday's George Main Stakes.The seven-year-old will be chasing his first victory at 1600 metres in the weight-for-age feature at Randwick after being the unlucky runner in a couple of Group One mile races last season.Standing in his way will be a resurgent Gai Waterhouse team with warhorse Theseo looking to claim a sixth Group One.More Joyous will also be entered for the George Main as w

It has taken longer than anticipated but trainer Chris Waller believes Danleigh will be at peak fitness for Saturday's George Main Stakes.

The seven-year-old will be chasing his first victory at 1600 metres in the weight-for-age feature at Randwick after being the unlucky runner in a couple of Group One mile races last season.

Standing in his way will be a resurgent Gai Waterhouse team with warhorse Theseo looking to claim a sixth Group One.

More Joyous will also be entered for the George Main as well as the Group Three Bill Ritchie Handicap (1400m).

Waller said Danleigh had tightened up since his fourth in the Group Two Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on September 4.

"We have concentrated on mile races with him and in hindsight it may have been a mistake," Waller said.

"He did win the George Ryder (over 1500m) and was unlucky in the Doncaster (1600m) with 57 kilos but we might have just taken the dash away from him by doing it.

"It's taken him a bit longer to come up this time because he's not quite as sharp.

"I think he'll be at his best fitness on Saturday.

"He's up against some smart horses but he's still not far from being the benchmark horse in the race and a few others still have to get there."

Waller trained the trifecta in the Group Two weight-for-age Warwick Stakes (1400m) last month with Danleigh, second-up from a spell, finishing third behind stablemates Metal Bender and Triple Honour.

The Rosehill trainer then elected to send Danleigh to Melbourne for the Makybe Diva while his stablemates remained in Sydney for the Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) on the same day.

Danleigh finished fourth in the Makybe Diva won by reigning Melbourne Cup winner Shocking.

The Chelmsford was won by Theseo and Waller knows Danleigh needs to produce his best if he's to capture a fourth Group One on Saturday.

"I think Theseo's form going into the race is better than ours and we've got to try and get to that level," he said.

"I'm hoping the Randwick track will be playing fairer because I don't think a shifty surface suits him. In his defence the track at Flemington was a little shifty too and he doesn't like it."

Meanwhile, Waller said Metal Bender had come through Saturday's Underwood Stakes in good order and would progress to the Group One Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington in two weeks.

Triple Honour, second in Saturday's Hill Stakes in Sydney, will have his next start in the Craven Plate (2000m) at Randwick before heading to Melbourne for the Caulfield Cup.