Young trainer Leon Davies is confident of snaring his first Sydney winner on Wednesday just three days before he tries his luck at a breakthrough stakes victory in Brisbane.The 27-year-old has progressive four-year-old Altonio in the Rosehill Gardens Event Centre Handicap (1900m) at Canterbury after things didn't pan out how the trainer had hoped in the gelding's first foray to town on May 21.On that occasion the lightly-raced gelding was stoked up to apply the pressure to the leader from the 80

Young trainer Leon Davies is confident of snaring his first Sydney winner on Wednesday just three days before he tries his luck at a breakthrough stakes victory in Brisbane.

The 27-year-old has progressive four-year-old Altonio in the Rosehill Gardens Event Centre Handicap (1900m) at Canterbury after things didn't pan out how the trainer had hoped in the gelding's first foray to town on May 21.

On that occasion the lightly-raced gelding was stoked up to apply the pressure to the leader from the 800m mark of the 1800m Rosehill race and then tired in the concluding stages to finish three lengths adrift of the winner Fibrillation.

"He (apprentice Taylor Lovelock-Wiggins) probably went too early and the horse was then just found wanting at the end but he was only beaten three lengths," Tamworth-based Davies said.

"He ran out of his skin considering the circumstances and he has trained on since.

"I was going to tip him out but I want to get the horse's confidence back up before I send him to the paddock."

Altonio, a half-brother to West Australian Derby winner Markus Maximus, won his first two starts in good style at Dubbo and Muswellbrook before Davies raised the bar to metropolitan racing.

Davies, who has 14 horses in work, started training three years ago having spent time working for Gai Waterhouse in Sydney and then Gold Coast-based trainers including Bryan Guy.

"Potentially Altonio could be my best horse but at the moment Prussian Secret is," Davies said.

"He's won about seven country Cups and he's going to Brisbane on Saturday in a Listed 1600-metre race and then he'll go to the Ipswich Cup.

"He's only got bush form at the moment but he did win in Brisbane last preparation."

Prussian Secret was Davies' first metropolitan winner but Altonio could provide the trainer with his first Sydney success.

"It would be a big buzz," he admitted.

"Sydney and Melbourne are the hardest cities to win in and even though it's only midweek if I can do that tomorrow it's a tick in the box."

Queensland-based hoop Ric McMahon will make a rare Sydney appearance to ride Altonio.

Davies rates the Paul Messara-trained Leicester Square and Chris Waller-trained Titbit as the biggest dangers in Wednesday's race.

"Hopefully there's a bit of speed in the race and we'll sit just in behind them somewhere and Ric can have the last crack at them," Davies said.

"What he did in that race in Saturday grade last start, to be only beaten only three lengths, we're going in pretty confident."