Talented miler Toydini will have a number of opportunities to record a maiden win at Group 1 level when he returns to the races for the 2014 Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival.

Toydini recorded a narrow win in the Crystal Mile during the 2013 Spring Racing Carnival. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia

Trainer Guy Walter told Sky Racing HQ yesterday that Toydini will have two barrier trials in Sydney before resuming in the Group 3 Southern Cross Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on February 22.

After running in the Southern Cross Stakes, Toydini will step-back up to Group 1 level; with the Group 1 Canterbury Stakes (1300m) at Royal Randwick on March 15, the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill Gardens on March 29 and the Group 1 Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Royal Randwick on April 12 all on the agenda for the four-year-old.

Walter said that he has been delighted with the improvement that Toydini has shown since maturing as a horse and believes that the classy gelding has the class to breakthrough for a victory at Group 1 level.

“He always had a lot of ability and he didn’t produce it when he was a colt,” Walter said.

“Gelding him made an enormous difference and he had that very good autumn last year, where he won the Phar Lap and the Carbine Cup.

“He went on in the Spring and won a Cameron and the Crystal Mile so he is a class horse.

“The other good thing about him is that he is relatively lightly-raced.”

Toydini started his 2013 Spring Racing Carnival campaign with a fifth place finish behind Veyron in the Group 2 Warwick Stakes (1400m) at Warwick Farm on August 24 and stamped himself as a Epsom Handicap contender with a tough win in the Group 3 Cameron Handicap (1500m).

He flashed home late to finish third behind Boban and Streama in the Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) at Royal Randwick on October 15 and returned to the winners stall with a tight win over Speediness and Sacred Falls in the Group 2 Crystal Mile (1600m) at Moonee Valley on October 26.

Toydini was well-backed in the lead-up to the Group 1 Emirates Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on the final day of the 2013 Melbourne Cup Carnival, but produced a slightly flat performance and finished sixth behind Boban.

Walter is chasing his second win in the Doncaster Mile after taking out the 2005 edition of the race with Patezza.