Jockey Craig Williams identified imported galloper Redkirk Warrior as a potential Group 1 horse and believes Sinawann is a similar proposition.
UK-bred Redkirk Warrior came to Australia via Hong Kong and won at his second Australian start, before capturing the first of his two Group 1 Newmarket Handicaps (1200m) first-up at Flemington.
Williams only rode Redkirk Warrior on two occasions, in his first Australian win at Sandown at the end of the of the 2016 Melbourne Spring Carnival and again the following autumn on heavy ground in the All-Aged Stakes when finishing fifth.
Like Redkirk Warrior, Irish-bred Sinawann won at the equivalent meeting last spring, winning the Group 3 Kevin Heffernan Stakes at the Zipping Classic meeting at Caulfield.
That was Sinawann’s second Australian start and afforded Williams enough intelligence to stick with the entire through his autumn campaign.
After a first-up second in the Group 2 Australia Stakes (1200m) at The Valley on January 29, Sinawann heads to his first Group 1 assignment in the C F Orr Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday.
Williams said Anthony and Sam Freedman had worked hard on a head strong Sinawann and believes the son of Kingman is a Group winner in waiting.
He said Sinawann feels identical to Redkirk Warrior, saying it was Anthony who suggested a shot at the Newmarket Handicap in March could be on the agenda, while the five-year-old is also entered for the $5 million All-Star Mile.
“I think Saturday, the first Group 1 of the year in Victoria, will tell us where he is going,” Williams said.
“They will make a determination on whether they go to the All-Star Mile or whether they come back to the Newmarket, and they’ll make the right decision on where he is it at.
“He is an exciting horse. He’s a Group horse.
“If it was later in the year, he would be considered a Stradbroke horse with the solid tempo and shorter distance, but the way he has responded to their training, he might be able to extend his distance and they might be able to have a lot of fun through Sydney as well.”