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A country carnival in Victoria is now on the radar for Flemington trainer Nick Ryan.
It is not often that a stable the size of Nick Ryan has runners in three states.
But that is what Ryan had on Saturday, spreading his staff far and wide with runners at Eagle Farm, Morphettville Parks, Flemington and Bendigo.
The results did not go Ryan's way with placings at Flemington and Bendigo, but at the same time his other three runners, one each at Flemington, Brisbane and Adelaide, did not run bad races.
Ryan himself was in Brisbane over the past week overseeing the preparation of Belle Savoir, fifth in the Group 1 Queensland Oaks, but he will be in for a more sedate training regime this week.
With only 30 horses in work, Ryan relies on the quality of staff he has assembled with the stable beginning to show the fruits of that labour.
This week Ryan is going to concentrate on the three-day Swan Carnival which kicks off on Friday with the running of the $125,000 Elvstroem Classic (1300m) and the $150,000 Golden Topaz (1200m).
Day two is for restricted grade gallopers with Sunday, the $175,000 Swan Hill Cup taking centre stage.
Ryan plans on having a presence in the feature races with Regardsmaree contesting the Golden Topaz, an unraced two-year-old running in the Elvstroem Classic and Mahamedeis in the Swan Hill Cup.
The trainer had success at last year's carnival taking debutant Mynumerouno to day two, scoring a comfortable maiden two-year-old victory.
Regardsmaree won the Listed Anniversary Vase (1400m) at Sandown before travelling to Adelaide last month, running ninth to Lombardo in the Group 1 The Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville.
Ryan said he had kept Regardsmaree fresh in preparation for the Golden Topaz.
Mahamedeis has not raced since finishing third last in the Echuca Cup (1400m) in March which was the gelding's first start since finishing last at The Valley in October.
A jump-out at Flemington on May 27 has Ryan convinced the 'old boy' has got his spark back.
"I think he's back to his normal self and he's been an old marvel for the stable," Ryan said.
