Impressive country debut winner Thorn Lake could be the star that former champion mare Nimue always promised to produce.A dual Group One winner of Riccarton's One Thousand Guineas and the Bayer Classic at Levin, Nimue was beaten only three times in her 11 starts and was the top filly on New Zealand's Free Handicap in 1993.Her foals have sold up $420,000 but their performances have been relatively disappointing with seven of her 10 offspring being winners, but none at stakes level.Thorn Lake is N

Impressive country debut winner Thorn Lake could be the star that former champion mare Nimue always promised to produce.

A dual Group One winner of Riccarton's One Thousand Guineas and the Bayer Classic at Levin, Nimue was beaten only three times in her 11 starts and was the top filly on New Zealand's Free Handicap in 1993.

Her foals have sold up $420,000 but their performances have been relatively disappointing with seven of her 10 offspring being winners, but none at stakes level.

Thorn Lake is Nimue's ninth foal and, by 2004 Stradbroke Handicap winner Thorn Park, cost trainer Robbie Griffiths $80,000.

Griffiths said Thorn Lake had been slow developing and, while he thought he would win his debut at Ballarat last month, was unprepared for the ease of the six-length victory in the 1000-metre maiden.

"We thought he would win but we didn't think he would win as convincingly as he did," Griffiths said.

"He put six on them and he didn't know what he was doing so it was very, very encouraging."

Griffiths said the strength of the Ballarat race was questionable but at Sandown on Wednesday he would get a better guide on the gelding when he lines up in the Waratah Handicap (1000m).

Brad Rawiller, who won on him Ballarat, will again be his rider.

Thorn Lake's danger could be another impressive Ballarat winner First Command, trained by Lee Freedman and ridden by Dwayne Dunn.

Two weeks before Thorn Lake's debut, the Commands gelding resumed at Ballarat for his second race start and won by seven lengths over 1100 metres before franking the form at his next run with a four-length win at Mornington.

Freedman will also run Braided General, who is looking for a change of luck with jockey Ibrahim Gundogdu aboard, in the race.

Four starts ago the Ne Coupez Pas gelding ran second to the unbeaten stakeswinner Mic Mac and last start was placed in Adelaide.