ORNOS READY FOR SHOWDOWN

Lightly raced Ornos will race in blinkers for the first time in The Showdown at Caulfield, with his trainer Danny O'Brien upbeat about the promising colt's prospects in the $1 million race for two-year-olds.

O'Brien has had Saturday's feature event on the Victorian Owners and Breeders Raceday in mind for Ornos, who won nicely on debut at Bendigo early last month before reeling off good late sectionals for second to one of his Showdown rivals, Befuddle, over 1200m at The Valley in his only other start on February 28.

"It's always been on the agenda and he's just kept thriving as we've gone through each week since his first-up win," O'Brien said.

"He gets there as well as we can have him.

"He has raced very well at both starts.

"He was good at Bendigo. He probably just let the leader get a bit far away from him last start, but he ran a great last 400m and 200m.

"He's come through that run well. He's going to wear a set of blinkers for the first time in The Showdown, which we think will be a good gear change for him.

"I think he's a really nice colt and I think he'll be right in the finish of The Showdown."

Jockey Daniel Stackhouse will have to navigate the right path from a wide draw on the colt, with Ornos set to jump from the second-outside barrier in a field of 15, but O'Brien does not see the wide draw as a huge concern.

"I don't think so, not at the 1200m at Caulfield," he said.

"As long as he can drop in midfield with cover, he's going to be really strong at the end of 1200 metres."

Story by Mathew Toodgood for Racing.com

Pic by Racing Photos