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Alan Tait is drawing inspiration from a fellow New Zealand trainer to fuel his Melbourne spring carnival hopes.

The Matamata horseman has the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas in October as the long-term aim for his unbeaten youngster Southern Icon.

“Everyone dreams of it and Trent (Busuttin) did it last year,” Tait said.

“They won at Ruakaka and were on a plane over there and he (El Roca) was a certainty beaten in the Guineas.”

Southern Icon beat El Roca’s stablemate Johnhro at his Ruakaka debut in May and Tait has two further visits to the Northland track in mind for the gelding.

“He’s going back there on Saturday and I think he’s improved a lot – he looks really good and I’m happy with him,” he said.

“He’ll go back again a month later for the Westbury Stud Challenge and if he’s as good as I think he is then he’ll go to Australia.

“I was going to take Southern Lord over there until I did a deal with Mark Walker for him to go to Singapore.”

Tait, who prepared the now-retired Southern Lord to win the Gr.1 Levin Classic, was confident his current charge would win on debut, despite his odds of 20-1. “It was no surprise, I thought he’d win,” he said.