Corstens throws Brave in the deep end

Troy Corstens isn't about to take the easy option with Land Of The Brave. Not again anyway.

The Starspanglebanner gelding will contest a Benchmark 70 Handicap over 1600m as he looks to break his maiden at start five in the opening race at The Valley on Saturday.

"Not quite sure he is up to that grade, but I just thought it was worth a throw at the stumps," Corstens said.

"There's a million 1600-metre maidens we can run in anywhere and originally this race tomorrow popped up with only five nominations, which is why I was attracted to it in the first place."

Land Of The Brave was truck-loaded into a $1.55 favourite last start with bookies, punters and the trainer all believing, incorrectly, he was a near-on moral.

"He ran really well at Echuca and the thing of Mick Price's that beat him (Valanetti) came out and ran third in the Sandown Guineas, which prompted me to take him to Tatura thinking he was a good thing," Corstens said.

He wasn't. But he also wasn't far away, and it hasn't dented Corstens optimism too much.

"We just got too far back. We were meant to lead, we didn't. The thing that lead got its own way and won. We ran second and got home okay, so I plan on leading tomorrow," he said.

"The dry track is really going to suit him … just gets his chance to show us where he is in the pecking order and what he can do."

Runson is more of a known commodity, but a lacklustre trial on Tuesday isn't filling the stable with confidence as he goes into the Listed Carlyon Stakes (1000m).

"We're coming off his worst trial ever," Corstens said.

"I couldn't tip him with any confidence. I'm more hoping he'll run really well than knowing he's going to."

The track-recordholder over 1200m until Hey Doc eclipsed it by one-hundredth of a second in the Manikato Stakes last month, Runson, a $14 chance with Sportsbet, is probably closer to the spelling paddock than he is to smashing the clock.

"He had a couple of little issues with his rear end that we think we've fixed after the trial, but it'll tell us tomorrow whether we're spot on or he needs a proper break," Corstens said.

To use an old cliche, Saturday could be a chocolates or boiled lollies kind of day for the Corstens stable.

Their final runner, Heka Express in the fillies and mares Benchmark 78 (1000m), also doesn't have the trainer jumping out of his skin with excitement.

"She was okay first-up. I thought she might have been a touch better. Second-up she should go better," he said.

"She's a mare now that we sort of need to get a city win next to her name so we can get her value up a little bit.

"She's not the best horse in the stable but she's far from the worst."