Prince, who rode the gelding in the trial, had a nice hold on the son of O'Reilly as the pair won their open 800m heat by 1 lengths over Ridley and Natuzzi.
Ric O'Shea won a trial at Wingatui last September before Prince took him to Riccarton for his first run in early October - a decision he regrets in hindsight.
''Last year he went to Riccarton first up and it was probably his undoing,'' Prince said.
''It's a long trip up there - five hours up, and five hours home and he didn't settle that well on the Saturday morning before the races, so I learnt my lesson.''
Prince was thrilled with Ric O'Shea's attitude during the 800m trial, run in 49.4sec on a slow track.
''It was a perfect run for him. He went a wee bit hard, but he was all right.
''Every time he heard the footprints behind him, he wanted to go a bit harder. That's what good horses do.''
The gelding is 35kg heavier than last year, and Prince has two options in mind to kick-start his run to the group 2 Coupland's Mile at Riccarton on November 12.
Prince is likely to lean towards the $15,000 open 1200m at Winton on October 13 rather than a run over the same distance in the $25,000 Ashburton Cup, based on last year's experience.
''I'm more swinging towards Winton - it's a day trip for him.''
Ridley came through a setback a month ago to run a tidy second behind Ric O'Shea, just pipping Natuzzi on the line.
His trainer, Joanne Hillis, said Ridley had a bout of salmonella five weeks ago, which he appeared to have put behind him.
''He had a good hitout on Saturday and I was worried how he would come through that but he was good,'' she said.
The Coupland's Mile is still the target for Ridley, but there is a chance the son of Handsome Ransom could have one less run than originally planned leading into the group 2 feature.
Natuzzi is heading to the Stewards Stakes on the same day as the mile, but his trainer, Paul Richards, is opting to take on the sprinters in a fresh state following a trial over 1000m in a month's time.
''He'll head up to Ashburton for a trial and a trip away on the 23rd [of October],'' Richards said.
Valiant showed he is ready to carry on where he left off last season with a second successive trials win. The 4yr-old dug deep to win his open 1000m trial by three-quarters of a length after Lowe Flyer threatened to finish over the top of him down the outside of the track. Valiant won an 800m trial at Wingatui on September 11.
The son of Gallant Guru is nominated for a rating 75 1200m at Gore on Monday, which co-trainer Shane Anderton said was a likely prospect.
Five Kings was the other standout on the day, winning his maiden 800m heat by four lengths for Riverton trainer Bruce Tapper and his Japanese stable rider, Masaji Haruki, who has ridden five winners in Australia. The Shinko King gelding earned his barrier certificate after having problems behind the barriers in previous trials.
Results.-
Weather, overcast; track, slow8
Maiden 600m: Red Dagger J Lowry 1; Thewayiam 2; 3 g Gallant Guru-Bi A Rose 3. Three started. Time, 38.7. L, L. Trainers, B & S Anderton
Maiden 800m: Five Kings M Haruki 1; 3 f Any Suggestion-Ice Arena 2; Breathe Easy 3. Three started. Time, 49.8. 4L, 4L. Trainer, B Tapper.
Open 800m: Ric O'Shea S Prince 1; Ridley 2; Natuzzi 3. Six started. Time, 49.4. 1L, lg nk. Trainer, S Prince.
Maiden 1000m: Avow T Direen 1; 3 g King's Chapel-Solo Star 2; 3g Scaredee Cat-Liberty Rose 3. Six started. Time, 1.05.0. 1/2L, 2L. Trainers, B & S Anderton.
Maiden 1000m: Keep The Quest J Chong 1; 4 m Danske-Millie 2; 3g Coats Choice-Bromista 3. Five started. Time, 1.06.2. Ns, hd. Trainer, M Hamilton.
Maiden 1000m: 3 f Coats Choice-Monsanto D Prastiyou 1; Dom Benedictine 2; Heroic Guru 3. Five started. Time, 1.04.3. 1L, hd. Trainer, P Richards.
Open 1100m: Valiant J Lowry 1; Lowe Flyer 2; Pinot Express 3. Four started. Time, 1.02.7. 3/4L, 1/2L. Trainers, B & S Anderton.
