Canberra gelding Voice Commander will put his Villiers Stakes credentials on the line when he returns to Sydney for the Festival Stakes at Rosehill.Voice Commander comes into the 1500m feature in great form having won the Goulburn Cup (1600m) on November 21.Prior to that, the Nick Olive-trained four-year-old finished second to Vigor in the Grazia Plate (1600m) at Flemington on the final day of the Melbourne Cup carnival after scoring at Rosehill a month earlier.The form out of that Sydney race i
Canberra gelding Voice Commander will put his Villiers Stakes credentials on the line when he returns to Sydney for the Festival Stakes at Rosehill.
Voice Commander comes into the 1500m feature in great form having won the Goulburn Cup (1600m) on November 21.
Prior to that, the Nick Olive-trained four-year-old finished second to Vigor in the Grazia Plate (1600m) at Flemington on the final day of the Melbourne Cup carnival after scoring at Rosehill a month earlier.
The form out of that Sydney race is strong, producing subsequent winners Jedburgh, Barlagarney, North Dakota and New Zealand Derby hopeful Coniston Bluebird, who has won twice since.
"He's ticking over so well for us and the Goulburn win was probably the best the stable's had so far and I'm sure he'll be thereabouts in the Festival," Olive said.
"He's been such a terrific horse for us and very rarely puts in a bad race."
Voice Commander has won five of his 12 starts and has been placed three times including a second to Acey Ducey in the Group Two Phar Lap Stakes (1550m) at Canterbury in April.
Olive was delighted with Voice Commander's Flemington run where he raced to the lead only to be overhauled in the final 100 metres.
"He did such a great job down there and I couldn't have been happier with him and I think experience will do him the world of good," Olive said.
The Group Two Villiers Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on December 20 is the major race of the Sydney summer.