Fran Houlahan believes the switch of Saturday's Macdonald Steeplechase from Moonee Valley to Sandown will be the catalyst for a marked improvement in Jamraan.Houlahan, who co-trains the rising nine-year-old with her partner Brian Johnston, said the Moonee Valley course was against Jamraan last start when he finished a well-beaten ninth behind Macdonald rival Geeorb in the St Steven Steeple (3200m) on June 20."I don't think the Valley suited him. With the small number of jumps there it's very ha

Fran Houlahan believes the switch of Saturday's Macdonald Steeplechase from Moonee Valley to Sandown will be the catalyst for a marked improvement in Jamraan.

Houlahan, who co-trains the rising nine-year-old with her partner Brian Johnston, said the Moonee Valley course was against Jamraan last start when he finished a well-beaten ninth behind Macdonald rival Geeorb in the St Steven Steeple (3200m) on June 20.

"I don't think the Valley suited him. With the small number of jumps there it's very hard for a horse like him," Houlahan said.

"We're expecting a big improvement from him on Saturday. He's always raced well at Sandown.

"It's a hard race but we're expecting him to go better as he needs long races and he'll appreciate the step up to 3900 metres.

Jamraan won the Redleap Steeple (3450m) at Sandown in May last year and was runner-up and fourth respectively behind Toulouse Lautrec in the Trevor Clarke Steeple (3400m) at Flemington and fourth in the Australian Steeple (3900m) at Sandown.

He then finished runner-up to Geeorb in the Crisp Steeple (4000m) and second to Ginolad in the Grand National Steeple (4350m), both at Flemington.

"He's not a really good horse or anything like it, but he's a very good stayer and he tries pretty hard so if he gets in to these races alright he's always a chance," Houlahan said.

"We wanted to take him to Warrnambool but unfortunately he got galloped on at Oakbank."

Houlahan said the Hiskens was not on the agenda for Jamraan but he would be aimed at both next month's Crisp and Grand National.

"I don't think we'll run him in the Hiskens because I don't think he can win it," she said.

Houlahan and Johnston have a Hiskens start pencilled in for stablemate Pentiffic providing he can qualify to race over steeplechase fences before the $200,000 feature over 3700m at Moonee Valley on July 25.

However, Thursday's steeple schools at Yarra Valley were abandoned due to the state of the track and the next jumps trials are not scheduled until the Wednesday before the Hiskens at Mornington.

"Having to trial over 2800 metres to qualify three days before the Hiskens is far from ideal," Houlahan said.

"Ultimately we'd like to get him to Japan (for the 2010 Nakayama Grand Jump) if we could, but to do that you have just about got to win the Hiskens to get selected.

"If we can get the trials changed, that's what we'd like to do."

In the meantime Pentiffic is set to make up for bad luck at his past two starts in Saturday's Leslie Short Memorial Hurdle (3300m).

The Pentire five-year-old was travelling like a winner but his rider Craig Durden was catapulted from the saddle after the horse blundered on landing at the third last jump in the Australian Hurdle (3400m) at Sandown on June 13.

At his latest outing he hit a fence hard in running before winding up third to Destiny Calls in the Ted Best Hurdle (3200m) at Moonee Valley on June 20.

"Pentiffic's great, we just need a change of luck with him," Houlahan said.

"He was going to win pretty easily at Sandown and there was a bit of a muck-up at one of the fences at the Valley.

"It's got to be our turn soon and I hope it is on Saturday."

Trent Wells replaces Durden on both Jamraan and Pentiffic on Saturday.

He can use his 1.5kg claim on Pentiffic but can't use it on Jamraan in the non-claiming Macdonald.