Trainers Roger James and Robert Wellwood have taken a patient approach with their exciting sprinter Sweynesday, and they could be rewarded with a Group One result in a couple of weeks.

The five-year-old son of Sweyneese extended his impressive form line when reeling in Shoes to win the SkyCity 1200 at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day, setting up a return to the Auckland track on January 24 to contest the Gr.1 Sistema Railway (1200m).

From his wide gate, Sweynesday was forced to travel three-wide without cover for much of the journey, but he got on the back of an improving Silent Is Gold when rounding the final bend.

Shoes, who had set a solid tempo throughout, kicked clear down the home straight, but Sweynesday took chase and under the urgings of jockey Masa Hashizume he was able to reel her in and nab her on the line to win by a head.

“He sat three-wide throughout, he did it tough, but he is a good horse,” Wellwood said. “That’s eight starts now and he hasn’t finished outside the first two.

“The second horse is a talented galloper and had a three-kilo claim as well. He did a good job to pick her up. I am very happy.”

With a record of five wins and three runner-up results from eight career starts, Sweynesday’s trainers believe he is up to the task of taking the step up to stakes grade, and they have circled the Railway on Karaka Millions night as his target.

“Today was a test to see where we were at and with that (performance) it means that he gets a chance there,” Wellwood said.

“I would just love to see him draw a gate, he didn’t have it easy today. He gets in nicely at set weights and penalties in the Railway hence why we didn’t go down to the Telegraph (Gr.1, 1200m) at weight-for-age.

“It was nice to see him do that and it would be pretty special if we could do the same on Karaka Millions night.”

Sweynesday was purchased out of Pertbab Racing’s 2022 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale draft by Eric Koh, King Power and Bevan Smith Bloodstock for $80,000, and he races in the colours of Koh’s Falcon Racing for whom he has earned $192,000 to date.