Ron Quinton expects to know if lightly raced filly Skein deserves to be added to his spring team after she races at Canterbury on Wednesday.
The Randwick trainer has carnival stalwarts Monton and Crafty Irna ready to resume in stakes races at Warwick Farm on Saturday but Skein will occupy his more immediate thoughts in the Become An ATC Sponsor Handicap (1200m) at the midweek meeting.
A three-year-old, Skein has been to the races twice and broke through with a last-to-first win over 1100m at Canterbury two weeks ago.
In the process, she landed a $20 to $14 betting move after an eye-catching run on a rain-affected surface off a lower-than-expected fitness base for her first start.
"I was very confident she had a great deal of improvement after Randwick," Quinton said.
"I was also fortunate I had the three weeks' grace between the run on the heavy track and Canterbury so I was going into it pretty confident except for the outside barrier."
A clever ride from Quinton's apprentice Sam Clipperton negated any concerns about the alley and Skein came from five lengths off the leaders on the home to win by more than a length.
Quinton said a similar result in a marginally harder race on Wednesday could create spring opportunities for the filly.
"Tomorrow will tell us a lot more again but if she competed well there's a host of nice three-year-old fillies races over the spring," Quinton said.
"If she happened to win again I would certainly give her a shot at one of those races."
Canterbury rivals for Skein include Hydro and Aspen, horses who were given their chance in black-type races as autumn two-year-olds.
The race also includes former New Zealander Kirramosa, a Matamata maiden winner who will be first-up in Australia after finishing fourth to Recite in the Group One Sires' Produce Stakes at Awapuni in March.