Craig Williams has travelled all over the country to ride Ortensia and is adamant the mare is a Group One winner in waiting.The Tony Noonan-trained four-year-old gets the chance to claim her first top level victory when she resumes in Saturday's Group One Galaxy (1100m) at Randwick.Her three length last-to-first barrier trial victory at Warwick Farm on Friday, which Williams described as scintillating, filled the jockey with confidence.He said Ortensia, the winner of eight of her 16 starts, was

Craig Williams has travelled all over the country to ride Ortensia and is adamant the mare is a Group One winner in waiting.

The Tony Noonan-trained four-year-old gets the chance to claim her first top level victory when she resumes in Saturday's Group One Galaxy (1100m) at Randwick.

Her three length last-to-first barrier trial victory at Warwick Farm on Friday, which Williams described as scintillating, filled the jockey with confidence.

He said Ortensia, the winner of eight of her 16 starts, was on target to produce her best preparation yet.

"She gave me a great feel on Friday morning and those types of horses don't come along very often," Williams said.

"She's come back super. I've gone all around Australia to ride her work, she's a special filly and now a special mare."

Williams has partnered Ortensia in her past 11 starts and has won on the daughter of Testa Rossa in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth.

He said the mare had returned physically stronger and mentally more mature as a result of her travelling.

Noonan has had the multiple stakes winner based at Warwick Farm for more than two weeks preparing her for her first-up tilt in The Galaxy.

She hasn't raced since winning the Group Two Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) in Perth in late November.

Her campaign in the west meant Noonan elected to miss the Melbourne autumn in order to concentrate on the Sydney carnival and another Brisbane winter.

The $1 million Stradbroke Handicap (1400m), in which Ortensia finished third last year as a three-year-old, will again be among her targets.

She'll race in the Galaxy before taking aim at four Group Ones in Queensland - the BTC Cup (1200m), Doomben 10,000 (1350m), Stradbroke, and Winter Stakes (1400m).

And Williams is unfazed that Ortensia has yet to win at Group One level from two attempts.

"She's a Group One mare and clearly got Group One stamped all over her," he said.

"She's going to be exciting for this preparation. She's got a preparation of five Group One races and she's going the right way for it."

If Ortensia does perform to expectations this season, her recent travelling could even stretch further than just domestic trips.

Noonan said recently he would consider taking Ortensia overseas next season to Royal Ascot.

"If she does as well as we hope she might go next year," Noonan said.