Stirling Osland is aiming to secure his first Listed race victory with So You Are before the four-year-old gelding departs his Armidale training base.

The gelding has been placed in his last two starts behind Bjorn Baker’s Thebudgiesmugla, and Osland has confirmed that So You Are will soon be joining that horse in Sydney.

“He’s heading to Bjorn’s after this start for us,” Osland said.

“He’ll be in Sydney on Friday, have a couple of weeks let up, and then starting with Bjorn as a five-year-old there.

“He’s got to the stage now where he’s a genuine competitor in Group and Listed races every start, so he’s done as much as he can for us and just the travel – he spends 30 hours a month on a float.

“Between driving to Sydney and Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast so coming into spring carnival time, there’ll be a lot of options for a horse like him, we’d spoken to Stewie (Ramsey, owner) that Grafton would be the end of it.”

A win in Thursday’s Listed Grafton Cup (2350m) would be the ideal send-off for So You Are. Timeform considers him the most talented horse Osland has trained, highlighted by his second placing in the recent Caloundra Cup.

“He’s good as gold,” Osland enthused.

“He’s done a lot of travelling but he travels well and he’s come through it nicely.

“He’s probably going as well as ever, he’s always very consistent, through some good races behind a lot of good horses so I think Grafton looks a nice race for us.”

While Osland is content to avoid Thebudgiesmugla in the field, he pointed to the even-money favourite King Pedro as the main danger.

“The favourite won well in that Winter Cup last start but I think our form is probably more solid than his,” Osland stated.

“Probably us and Moods’ horse (Pounding), we were probably on par that day but he scratched.

“He’s drawn well in barrier two, he should get a nice run just behind the speed and I think we’re probably coming out of the stronger form line, he’s been in group or listed his past four starts.

“I think he’s well placed, this is a good finish point for him, to get a Listed winner at Grafton, we spend a lot of time racing there, it’d be nice to top it off.”

So You Are is currently listed at $7.50 for the $200,000 feature race on Thursday, which concludes the two-day carnival, headlined by the Ramornie Handicap on Wednesday.

Betting sites in Australia offer competitive odds for the Grafton Cup.