TRAINER Marco Botti is planning for progressive stayer Fiuilin to head to York on May 15 for the Emirates Airline Yorkshire Cup - via this Wednesday's Further Flight Stakes.
The four-year-old colt picked up two wins in 2008 and on his final start of the season only went down by three parts of a length in finishing third to Veracity in the Group 2 Jockey Club Stakes at Newmarket.
Fiuilin has been pleasing in his homework over the spring, allowing Botti to declare the son of Galileo for a Listed contest at Nottingham which will be staged over the same 1m 6f trip as the Emirates Airline Yorkshire Cup.
But Botti, who has made a cracking start to the new campaign, has fingers crossed for rain ahead of Fiulin's seasonal bow.
Botti said: "The plan is to run at Nottingham and then go for the Yorkshire up. It is 95 per cent he will run at Nottingham. Hopefully, between now and Wednesday, we'll get some rain.
"I'm not saying he needs soft ground - just to get his toe in would be a help. He has won on good ground but because he is a big horse by Galileo, I'm sure if we got some rain he would appreciate it."
Botti is eager to get a prep race into Fiulin before tackling the Emirates Airline Yorkshire Cup, which has attracted a high-class entry of 30, including Yeats, Veracity and last year's winner Geordieland.
He said "I couldn't be happier with his condition - he looks in good nick. He is more mature than last year - physically, he has filled out.
"He has tightened up in the last two weeks and has been working well. But he is such a big horse and more laid-back than last year, the race would do him the world of good."
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