TRAINER Paul Perry has high hopes that Sea Spur will be one of the better gallopers to come out of his highly successful Broadmeadow yard.
The promising three-year-old colt, which has not raced since October 3 last year, resumes in the listed $100,000 Strada Stakes over 1200 metres at Randwick.
Perry has no doubt the horse he bought for $100,000 has "got what it takes".
And for the experienced horseman it would be extra special if Sea Spur turns his potential into results for the horse's owner, John Wood.
The Newcastle man, who was in the mining industry, has become a long-time horse owner and patron of the Perry stable.
Among Wood's purchases, which Perry has trained for "as long as I can remember", was one which stands out for all the wrong reasons.
That was El Cairo, which Wood bought into after the yearling fetched $2 million as a sales topper at the Sydney Easter Sales in 2007.
El Cairo had the looks and pedigree to attract the big price but, to say the least, he was a disappointment.
"I would just love to get a good horse for John because he has poured his money into racing over a lot of years," Perry said.
"He is a terrific bloke who loves his racing and deserves the thrill that goes with getting a top horse.
"He was in the syndicate that raced El Cairo and that was the one we all thought would turn out to be a star.
"But he just never measured up."
But instead of giving racing away after such a big purchase flopped, the mining man just looked for another horse to strike pay dirt.
Last year Sea Spur put together wins at Gosford and Warwick Farm before finishing third in the Heritage Stakes.
He was then well beaten in the Roman Consul Stakes, but Perry was sure a bad track contributed to that 10-length defeat and shipped the horse south for the Melbourne spring.
This has become Perry's standard operating procedure with promising horses.
He had Sea Spur in at Moonee Valley on Cox Plate day but had to scratch when the horse was not just right.
"He was getting jointy. It wasn't bad, but the best thing for Sea Spur was a long spell," Perry said. "It was a pity as I thought he would win a nice race for us in Melbourne over the spring."
The spell has done Sea Spur the world of good.
"He looks great and has trialled well. He will improve with the run, but he is ready for the race on Saturday," Perry said.
"His biggest drawback is gate 14, which does not help, but he is going well enough to say he will run a nice race.
"If he does go well, then I can sort out a program for him over the spring."
Perry would enjoy that immensely.
"When you see an owner like John prepared to have a crack at getting a good horse you just hope they come along for them real quick," Perry said.
"Sea Spur just might be the one for John. He has had plenty of thrills with Newport, which he part-owns, but I've got the feeling that with Sea Spur he might have a truly outstanding galloper."
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