Premier Sydney-based trainer Gai Waterhouse has her eye on the $3 million prize the 2010 Cox Plate has on offer for her six-year-old warhorse Theseo following a successful barrier trail at Randwick yesterday.

Danewin gelding Theseo took out both the Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) and the Ranvet Stakes (2000m) at the start of the year, making the veteran runner a five-time Group 1 winner.

Having won over $3.1 million in prizemoney over his 35 career starts to date, Theseo was back on track yesterday when he came in third at a 1250m barrier trial at Randwick’s Kensington track.

Theseo’s stablemate, improving four-year-old Herculian Prince, was the winner at the trial hitout and looked to be a staying star of the future.

Waterhouse expressed her beliefs that Herculian Prince, who won four successive races during the autumn, could potentially develop into a Melbourne Cup contender for next year.

The promising trial by Theseo saw Waterhouse immediately name the prestigious Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on Saturday October 23 as Theseo’s main target this Spring Racing Carnival.

Waterhouse has pencilled in the Group 2 Warwick Stakes (1400m) on August 21 for Theseo’s first-up run this spring, after which weight-for-age features including the Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) on September 4 and then the Group 1 George Main Stakes (1600m) on September 25 could be on the cards.

If all goes to plan Theseo will then head to Melbourne for the Group 1 Yalumba Stakes (2000m) on October 9 at Caulfield, with his spring campaign culminating with a run in the Cox Plate.

There was plenty of action at Randwick yesterday, with other impressive trial performances from Waterhouse’s American Group 1 winner Cannonball, and the Bart Cummings-trained Rock Classic.

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