Pride, enjoying a great summer with a winning strike rate of 24 per cent across his past 50 starters, hoped Accredited could handle the challenge of a makeshift lead-in.

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“There was time to give him a couple more gallops, but I generally don’t like my horses having more than three weeks between runs without a trial, but there wasn’t an opportunity,” he said.

“So he’s potentially a touch soft, but when horses are coming back in trip, I think you get away with that quite often.

“If he was going up 200 or 400 metres off four weeks between runs, I’d be more concerned. It still profiles OK for him.”

Regardless of the result, Accredited has been a revelation for Pride this time in.

“He started off in the midweeks, so if you can start off there and win a group 3 at the end of your prep, it’s been a pretty solid prep. Not many do that,” Pride said.

In the fifth, Pride expected an improved run from Storm The Ramparts ($12) from gate two. He was a beaten favourite last start at Canterbury.

“He gets the blinkers back on, and that’s a big gear change for him,” he said.

“With the inside draw as well, he’ll run a bold race.

“On face value, he was disappointing last start, but he was in at Warwick Farm a week or so before that, and he was scratched at the barriers. When that happens, you’ve missed a run, so he was a bit soft.”

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Meanwhile, Pride said Private Eye would have a break before preparations for a Queensland winter campaign after suffering an eye infection.

“He’s in the paddock, and I’ll probably give him a month off, and he’ll be right for the Brisbane winter, which he’s done successfully before,” he said.

Stable star Ceolwulf led all the way in his second trial on Thursday at Warwick Farm ahead of his return in the Apollo Stakes in two weeks. Likely rival Via Sistina was second, one and two-third lengths back.