Bill Williams will delay choosing his Hiskens Steeplechase mount until after the Robbie Laing-trained pair Hasta Manana and Sir Pentire school at Mornington on Wednesday.Both are down to trial over 2800 metres and Williams, while having a leaning to Hasta Manana, wants to assess both horses after they school.The 34-year-old jumps jockey is torn between both horses having had successful associations with each.His win aboard Sir Pentire in this year's Grand Annual Steeple (5500m) at Warrnambool wi

Bill Williams will delay choosing his Hiskens Steeplechase mount until after the Robbie Laing-trained pair Hasta Manana and Sir Pentire school at Mornington on Wednesday.

Both are down to trial over 2800 metres and Williams, while having a leaning to Hasta Manana, wants to assess both horses after they school.

The 34-year-old jumps jockey is torn between both horses having had successful associations with each.

His win aboard Sir Pentire in this year's Grand Annual Steeple (5500m) at Warrnambool will long be remembered for Laing's training feat as the Pentire gelding hadn't raced for two years.

He hadn't raced over jumps for three years although he had no less than 12 trials on the flat, over hurdles and steeplechase fences.

But for Williams, the victory marked his successful comeback after he dislocated or broke nine bones in his wrist and hand after his mount Poker Face fell at the last fence in the 2008 Grand Annual.

Williams was sidelined for over 10 months and started riding trackwork in March this year.

"I saw the specialist three weeks ago and he was surprised that I was back riding at this level," Williams said.

Williams has an impressive record aboard Hasta Manana who is part-owned by his wife Sally, winning four hurdle races on him in 2007 including the Australian Hurdle (3400m) at Sandown.

He rode Hasta Manana when he was narrowly beaten by Weeping Willow in the 2008 Galleywood Hurdle but two starts later the Zabeel gelding cracked a vertebra in his back when he landed awkwardly and fell in the Lachal Hurdle at Flemington when Paul Hamblin was in the saddle.

Now rising nine, Hasta Manana has had three flat runs and will have trialled over fences three times after being on the sidelined for a year.

He is also an acceptor for Wednesday's Bore Head Hcp (1800m) at Sandown.

"He's had a fairly light preparation I suppose, but he seems like he's in pretty good order," Williams said.

Laing said Hasta Manana went brilliantly when he won a Werribee steeple school over 2800m by four lengths on July 13.

Amongst those finishing behind him were Hiskens rivals Hooker Road and Pentiffic.

The Hiskens has been lengthened from 3700 to 4050 metres to compensate for the removal of the last fence in the straight and Williams said the trip was the query for Hasta Manana.

"Personally I think the idea of pulling the last fence out on any racecourse is ridiculous. I'm not a fan of that," Williams said.

Since the Grand Annual victory, Sir Pentire hasn't shown up in three flat runs and a steeple school at Werribee in which he ran last behind Infusion.

"He's a funny horse. He was quite savage and had his ears back," Laing said of the rising 10-year-old who trailed the field throughout when 19 lengths last to Inkster over 2400m at Caulfield on Saturday.

The Ciaron Maher-trained Geeorb goes into the Hiskens chasing a hat-trick following victories in the St Steven Steeple (3200m) at the Valley and in the Macdonald Steeple (3900m) at Sandown.

There were 15 nominations for the $200,000 Hiskens which, like the $100,000 Moonee Valley Hurdle (4050m) and the six flat races on the program, is limited to a field of 10-plus four emergencies due to the rail being out seven metres.