Stakeswinner Gold Trail has a bit of a swagger about him this preparation and is a far cry from the horse who took five starts to win his maiden.The new-found confidence from the rising five-year-old has trainer Gary Portelli looking forward to a good campaign which kicks off in the Group Three Missile Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill on Saturday."Obviously his first-up form is nothing to write home about, he hasn't won from three goes, but this time in he's strengthened right up and I think he thinks
Stakeswinner Gold Trail has a bit of a swagger about him this preparation and is a far cry from the horse who took five starts to win his maiden.
The new-found confidence from the rising five-year-old has trainer Gary Portelli looking forward to a good campaign which kicks off in the Group Three Missile Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
"Obviously his first-up form is nothing to write home about, he hasn't won from three goes, but this time in he's strengthened right up and I think he thinks he's a good horse by the way he holds himself now," Portelli said.
"We think he's pretty good now too, which is a far cry from what we thought of him.
"He's changed his demeanour and his work and trials have been very good and if he runs up to his best he won't be far off the mark."
Gold Trail is racing first-up in the Rosehill feature and punters are rallying around him, backing him from $35 in to $16 on TAB Sportsbet.
Gold Trail is owned by Lisa and Glenn Morton whose mother Billie owns Nom Du Jeu, winner of the 2008 AJC Australian Derby and runner-up in the Caulfield Cup.
He broke his maiden status by four lengths at Canterbury in March last year and soon made it two in a row at Randwick.
In January this year he won three successive races culminating with a win over Group winner Desuetude in the Listed Canterbury Classic (1100m).
A start later Gold Trail finished second to exciting Queenslander Burdekin Blues in the Group Two Expressway Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill.
"He struggled to win a maiden, he never looked like winning one," Portelli said.
"But he's just kept on improving and he's been placed at weight-for-age so if he turns up and runs the best race he possibly can he will go very well."
Stablemate Romanus, a $500,000 yearling by Encosta De Lago out of 2002 VRC Oaks winner Bulla Borghese, continues to please Portelli ahead of Saturday's Rosebud (1200m).
Portelli was pleasantly surprised by Romanus' barrier trial victory at Rosehill last week.
Romanus, who has one win from five starts, is not known as a good trackworker.
"He'd struggle to beat a horse who is battling to win a maiden in a barrier trial or on the track," Portelli said.
"But he was sensational the other day."
The Warwick Farm trainer is hoping to run the colt in the Group One $1 million Golden Rose (1400m) on August 29 before targeting the Group Three Gloaming Stakes (1800m) in September and the Group One Spring Champion Stakes (2000m).