Cody Morgan says from the first time he jumped aboard Ligulate in trackwork he thought the Tamworth Cup winner could be a The Kosciuszko contender.
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Speaking with Dave Stanley on Sky Sport Radio's Racing HQ program as the Kosciuszko Tour hit Tamworth this week, Morgan said the five-year just felt different "to most of the horses we've got up here".
"We pretty much had him for six weeks and he went and he won a Saturday Sydney race," he said.
"That's obviously the standard of horse that you'll need to go back to a Kosciusko and be competitive."
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Pressed on what it was about the gelding that stood out, the Tamworth trainer said his movement.
"I've had the opportunity to ride some really good horses, more so trackwork than in races, and he just gives you a feel of a big, strong, powerful horse," he said, adding that his stable name is 'tow-truck'.
"He's a very big horse and he has his own girth because it's the only one that fits him."
With the Kosciusko firmly in his sights Morgan has Ligulate booked in for the open trial at Tamworth on Monday. It will be his second run back from a 16 week spell following his Tamworth Cup heroics.
Hoping that he is picked up for a tilt at the $1.3 million riches, the plan will then be to resume over 1200m at the next Tamworth meeting "just to get a run under his belt".
Then they'll reassess.
Equal seventh in the pre-nomination betting at $15, Morgan said if he can reproduce his Country Championships qualifier form he'll "run a good race".
In the more immediate his focus is with Yulong Base in Saturday's TAB Highway Handicap at Rosehill Gardens.
Coming off a last start second at Tamworth, Morgan told Stanley the gelding has been working well and will be "very hard to beat".
The punters seem agree with the five-year old, who will be ridden by Andrew Gibbons, the $3.10 favourite with the TAB as of midday on Friday.
On Monday he has Rubic Honour, Casino Lord, Half Hinch, Anethole and Brave Enough engaged at Tamworth.
Of those he particularly likes Anethole in the Class 2.
"I trialled a dozen horses at Scone last week and he probably trialled as good as any of them so I think he'll be hard to beat," Morgan said.
