Spring Champ learning curve for Hand It In

He’s the $200 shot from a small provincial stable, but Hand It In’s trainer Rod Ollerton wants to teach his promising stayer about Group One racing in the Spring Champion Stakes.

Ollerton will wait until the last minute to make a decision whether Hand It In is an acceptor in Saturday’s 2000m feature at Randwick.

But if he decides to run the horse, who is one of 10 in work at Ollerton’s Newcastle base, it will be about educating the talented stayer-in-the-making.

“Even though it’s a big step up, he’s learning all the time and he looks like he’ll be strong at 2000 metres and beyond that,” Ollerton said.

Hand It In beat home one runner in Saturday’s Listed Dulcify Quality (1600m) at Randwick.

Before that he finished third of four in a midweek race at Warwick Farm, a little more than two lengths behind Veladero who went on to win the Gloaming Stakes (1800m).

The Chris Waller-trained Veladero is entered for the Spring Champion, along with stablemates High Mist and Tumultuous.

Group One winners Yankee Rose and Prized Icon headline the market at $2.60 and $3.20 respectively.

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Ollerton concedes Hand It In is probably a couple of lengths off his opponents, but counts the step up in distance as a major plus.

“If we can just get him educated and get a good base into him this time to learn from it will hold him in good stead for his next prep,” Ollerton said.

“He’s just a big raw bloke that’s still got a lot to learn.”

Ollerton selected Hand It In, a half-brother to stablemate Royal Tudor, from the Scone yearling sales where he was $15,000.

Royal Tudor won at Warwick Farm on Monday, his sixth victory from 14 attempts.

“I bought Hand It In from the sales because he was just a magnificent looking horse,” Ollerton said.

“But he’s different looking to Royal Tudor, much more a staying type.”

Spuruson was Ollerton’s last stable star, winning the Group Two Grand Prix Stakes a week before running seventh in the 2005 Group One Queensland Derby.