Young Newcastle trainer Nathan Doyle is hoping for early speed to match a wet track for Petrology's Rosehill task on Saturday as he chases his first city winner.
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Doyle, who grew up in Muswellbrook, has quickly established himself as a trainer on the rise since moving from Scone to Newcastle late last year.
He has had success with the likes of Pride Of Adelaide, Cafe Royal and Dreaming Of Gold but he is yet to break through for a metropolitan win.
Petrology, an eight-year-old which won the Sandown Guineas for David Hayes in 2014, gave Doyle his biggest thrill when he claimed the $150,000 Muswellbrook Cup as a 50-1 shot in March.
He next ran in the Scone Cup, where he made up ground from well back to finish four-lengths 10th.
Doyle was hoping Petrology could repeat the Muswellbrook effort on Saturday in the benchmark 88 handicap over 1500 metres but he said he needed early pace up front. Rosehill was rated a heavy 9 on Friday.
"That's his pattern, he's got to get back like that or he doesn't finish off," Doyle said of the Scone Cup run.
"When they slowed up mid-race, they run 33.4 the last 600. He was spotting them eight lengths on straightening, so he was no hope of catching them.
"I thought there was plenty of merit in his run considering. His results are based mainly on the pace of the race and as an older horse, it was pretty firm up there that day, a good 4, and he likes a bit of jar out of the track these days.
"But his work has been good since. He worked super here Tuesday morning, so if they put a bit of heat on up front, I'm sure he'll be right in the finish.
"There seems to be enough speed in it but you never know until it happens."
Rhythmic Pulse was inches away from giving Doyle a maiden metropolitan win on May 20 on the Kensington track and he was hungry for the breakthrough.
"You just want to always jump up to that next grade and it's great to compete on that level now," he said.
"But we've only been going about 18 months from where we started with three horses in work that we owned ourselves when we left Sydney, to now having 30 in work for some good clients, it's great."
Meanwhile, top Newcastle trainer Kris Lees will chase stakes wins at Rosehill and Doomben on Saturday.
The NSW premiership leader with 160 winners this season is aiming for a group 1 JJ Atkins Stakes start for filly Always On Show at Doomben. She is set to jump from barrier 10 in the listed Bill Carter Stakes (1110m) and was a last-start fourth in the group 3 Ken Memorial Classic.
"Realistically, she needs to win at Doomben on Saturday, but it won't be an easy task at set weights," Lees said of making the JJ Atkins field.
"I thought she ran very well at the Gold Coast a fortnight ago. Always On Show is back against her own sex on Saturday ... but is drawn awkwardly."
Lees also has Sixties Groove, Big Duke and Aliferous in the listed Lord Mayors Cup (2000m) at Rosehill.
