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By Ray Hickson

Around this time last year trainers Annabel and Rob Archibald had Depth Of Character pegged as a horse of the future and while it’s taken a little longer than they thought he gets the chance to cement that tag at Gosford on Saturday.

Rob Archibald said his three-year-old spring wasn’t up to expectation but he’s shown with each run since being gelded late last year that he was on the way back.

After encouraging runs in the Randwick Guineas and Carbine Club Stakes he found his groove with back-to-back wins in Brisbane and now eyes a hat-trick in the $500,000 The Coast (1600m).

“I think he’s probably just starting to mature a bit and we’re working him out as well,’’ Archibald said.

“If you go back through his form he’s done very little wrong, we’ve asked him to race in some good races early on.

“We got it wrong a bit with him in the spring but he’s been good this time in.”

Depth Of Character, $4.40 with TAB on Thursday, will back up after his runaway win in the Group 2 Queensland Guineas (1600m) last weekend.

There’s a theory that his best form is up north, and he hasn’t raced on anything worse than a soft 5, but Archibald said how he reacts to the back up and the trip back from Queensland will determine his chances.

“It was a very good run last weekend and he seems to have come through well,’’ he said.

“He was good fresh in the Carbine Club and then he’s put together two nice wins there at Eagle Farm so he is racing well.

“A few of the fancied horses have drawn wide and we’re confident if he handles the back up he will be right in the mix.”

There’ll be a change of tactics on talented sprinter Ostraka when he carries top weight in the Listed $250,000 De Bortoli Wines Takeover Target Stakes (1200m).

The four-year-old tackled the Group 1 double of the Oakleigh Plate and Newmarket before returning to Sydney for a close third in the Star Kingdom while he led in his last start sixth in the Hall Mark Stakes (1200m) three weeks ago.

“He’s been honest without winning, he’s just been overdoing it a fraction in front,’’ Archibald said.

“We’re going to ride him a little bit quieter and hopefully that’s the key to him, just to hold him up a bit.

“There looks to be enough speed on paper and if they overdo it he should be very strong late.”

The Archibalds have Naval College and wet tracker Hopeful in the Listed $300,000 Guardian Safety Solutions Gosford Gold Cup (2100m).

The former, who resumed with a fourth behind stablemate Bois D’Argent in the JRA Plate (2000m), is headed north while Archibald said outsider Hopeful could surprise if the track is testing.

“He’s come on, it’s a sticky draw but if he gets a bit of luck from the draw he will be right in it,’’ Archibald said of Naval College.

“He’s racing well, I was really happy with his run first-up and he will continue to improve and will probably end up in Brisbane.”

Depth Of Character wins the Queensland Guineas

Hopeful hasn’t won since the Lord Mayors Cup of 2022, on a heavy track, and was safely held in the Sydney Cup a month ago.

“He loves give in the track and if he gets that he generally finds his best form. It’s a good draw, he should get a nice run and we’re happy with him,’’ Archibald said.

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday’s Gosford meeting