โHeโs been coming through the grades and been a strong horse, so Iโm pretty excited to see what he can do down in the weights in stakes grade,โ Schiller said.
He was impressed when he tried to give Willaidow a quiet first-up trial on January 3.
โMarc just wanted him to have a nice time out, but heโs too competitive to just do nothing,โ Schiller said.
โHe jumped sharp, travelled strong and when those horses joined him, he wasnโt going to let them past him, whether I wanted him to ease back or not. Heโs definitely a competitor, and Iโd be pretty confident heโll run well.โ
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Willaidow is a $4.20 second elect with Sportsbet behind the Joe Pride-trained Accredited ($3.20), which is going for four consecutive wins. McDonald, who stood down from rides at Canterbury on Friday night due to illness, is down to partner Jason Deamerโs Hard To Say ($6) at 58kg.
Schiller rides the Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou-trained chances Blitzburg ($3.60) and In Limbo ($7.50) in the 1100m group 3s for two-year-olds, the Canonbury and Widden stakes.
In Limbo was third in the Magic Millions Debut last start on the Gold Coast.
โI thought she was pretty good on a track where it was hard to make up ground,โ he said.
โShe made up a lot of ground late, and off her trials, it looks like sheโs got some early pace as well, so it will be interesting to see if she settles a bit closer.โ
A winner on debut at Newcastle, Blitzburg was fifth in the Wyong Magic Millions, then third last start at Eagle Farm.
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โI galloped him this week, and he did a good job,โ Schiller said. โHeโs not very big, but heโs got a big motor and he feels like he tries hard.
โThe barrier [two] probably helps. We can jump positively and if he leads, heโll put in a good effort. I just donโt know if heโs got the pace to lead.โ
He believed Lilac, in the fifth for Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald, was another good chance on the card.
โShe was well performed last prep and gets in with a good enough barrier that I think she can roll forward and put herself among the first few,โ he said.
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