Lee Freedman says promising colt Cardinal Virtue can progress to Group races this spring, but first he has to dispose of a small but smart field of three-year-olds at Moonee Valley on Wednesday.The son of Elusive Quality was put away for the spring after he scored a six-length win over The Long Road in a Morphettville two-year-old handicap over 1050m on May 31.He then resumed with an encouraging third to stablemate Sugar Babe and Whobegotyou in the McNeil Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on August 30

Lee Freedman says promising colt Cardinal Virtue can progress to Group races this spring, but first he has to dispose of a small but smart field of three-year-olds at Moonee Valley on Wednesday.

The son of Elusive Quality was put away for the spring after he scored a six-length win over The Long Road in a Morphettville two-year-old handicap over 1050m on May 31.

He then resumed with an encouraging third to stablemate Sugar Babe and Whobegotyou in the McNeil Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on August 30.

Fourth home in that Group Three event was Fernandina who subsequently impressed with his solid win in the Group Three Caulfield Guineas Prelude (1400m) last Saturday.

"It was a very good effort first-up in the McNeil as he'd only come off a one-run preparation last time when he won in Adelaide and went straight into Group company against two very good three-year-olds," Freedman said of the Sheikh Mohammed-owned Cardinal Virtue.

"I thought he acquitted himself very well. A Group race over 1200 metres to 1400 metres could be within his scope."

Freedman left Cardinal Virtue in the $1 million Caulfield Guineas (1600m) at the second declaration stage and the colt is 28th of 56 three-year-olds in the order of entry into the Group One feature on October 11.

The colt is one of six winners from as many to race from the Snippets mare Valourina, others being the Group Two winners Timbourina and Media who were both also Group One-placed, Group Two-placed Rubric and stakes-placed Gallantree.

Valourina won seven races including the 1996 William Crockett Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley and the McNeil Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield, while her dam Bravery won the 1988 Queensland Oaks and Derby.

Dwayne Dunn will ride Cardinal Virtue for the first time in a race in Wednesday's Citywide Service Solutions Hcp (1200m) restricted to 0-82 class three-year-olds.

The John Sadler stable will be represented by Tindal with his unbeaten stablemate Marne scratched.

Tindal hasn't raced since winning by 2-1/2 lengths from Brunello over 1410m at Flemington on June 7.

The Testa Rossa colt was to run in the 1400m race won by Lord Tavistock at Flemington on September 6 but was a late scratching when found to be lame in the near foreleg on the morning of the race due to an infection.

Tindal, to be ridden by Steven Arnold, is proven at the Valley where he won by 2-3/4 lengths from Fernandina over 1000m at his race debut on May 7 before running second to Dr Doute's over 1200m on May 24.

The Mark Riley-trained Gold In Dubai is already a stakeswinner having won the Listed Blue Sapphire Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on May 10.

The Desert Sun gelding hasn't raced since leading and dropping out to finish last to Kert in the Gibson Carmichael Stakes (1600m) at Flemington a week later, but was sharpened up for Wednesday's race with an 800m barrier trial win at Cranbourne earlier this month.