Import's Cup hopes could rest on Williams

Monday 28 July 2014, 1:39pm

Kelinni's hopes of returning to Australia could rest on the opinion of jockey Craig Williams after the stayer runs in a Listed race in England on Tuesday.

Kelinni won twice at Group Three level and ran fourth in the 2012 Melbourne Cup during his time in the Chris Waller stable before Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock bought the gelding.

ATB founder Darren Dance sent Kelinni back to England to join the Marco Botti stable with moderate results to date but connections expect an improved performance over 14 furlongs (2800m) in the Summer Stakes at Goodwood.

Williams will partner the six-year-old and Dance says the rider's input will have a bearing on whether ATB brings Kelinni back to Australia for the spring along with certain Cups candidates Seismos and Dandino.

"We have just got him up to 2800(m), which is his distance and we have got Craig on him to tell me whether he is worth bringing out," Dance said.

"The best I can do is three Cups horses but I don't know if Kelinni is going to make it because he's still got to qualify so he's got to win a decent race."

Williams rode Dandino in work at Botti's Newmarket base last week to renew acquaintances with the horse he rode into second behind Fawkner in last year's Caulfield Cup.

Dandino has been unplaced at Group Two level in his first two starts of the northern hemisphere season but is working towards a return to the US for an attempt at a second successive win in the American St Leger at Arlington Park next month.

"Craig was over there so we thought it made sense to get him to have a ride on the horse just to see how he feels," Dance said.

"He's ridden him in the Caulfield Cup so it just gives us an idea of how the horse is going so it gets Craig back under Marco's eye and hopefully it works well for the spring.

"I don't want to lock him in but at least Craig knows the horse is going well and he's on his radar."

Williams had two unplaced rides for Botti at the weekend's meetings at Newmarket and Pontefract.

– AAP

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