Yanagida has ridden Go Nicholas to two victories in his last two starts and Hale said the son of Danroad has taken a lot of confidence out of those results.
"Now he's back in the winner's circle and racing that bit handier, all of a sudden, life is not so hard for him," she said.
Hale has been pleased with Go Nicholas since his last start win over a mile at Ellerslie on October 26 and is expecting another good showing from the gelding against another strong field.
"He came through the last start very well," she said. "I really would have liked two weeks between races but it's the right race for him.
"Once you get up in these grades, it's hard to find a soft one. It was a pretty smart line-up last time and he drops down the handicap a wee bit this time but there are certainly some nice horses in there.
"Barrier six is going to be easier than barrier 13 from last time, so we are happy with that."
All going to plan, Go Nicholas will be set for a tilt at the Group 3 Eagle Technology Stakes (1600m) at Ellerslie this month.
"If he goes well again [today], there is a set weights and penalties race at Ellerslie at the end of the month," Hale said.
"That might be the logical target and then he might have a little freshener and I will pick out some other targets later in the summer."
- NZ Racing Desk
