Danny Nikolic will join forces with the Peter Snowden stable at the Grafton Cup carnival next week with the prize mount on classy sprinter in the $130,000 WHK Ramornie Handicap.

Nikolic will also partner Damascene, another Darley owned runner, in the $40,000 Tursa Employment & Training Services Grafton Guineas next Wednesday.

Nikolic was aboard Pinwheel when the four-year-old was runner-up to the impressive Hay List in the Healy Stakes at Eagle Farm on June 26.

“The form should be really strong,” Nikolic said.

“Pinwheel ran great, he just ran into a very, very smart horse in Hay List.

“Peter Snowden has had the Ramornie in mind for some time. Pinwheel should be hard to beat.

Pinwheel, a four-year-old Lonhro gelding, has never been out of the money in 10 starts with five wins and five placings to his credit and will be Snowden's first Ramornie starter.

Melbourne-based Nikolic is looking forward to making a return to the Grafton carnival after putting the long-running Victorian stewards' investigation into his riding and affairs behind him.

“I've put it behind me and moved on,” Nikolic said.

“I want to get motivated for Grafton and the spring carnivals in Sydney and Melbourne.

“Bad publicity, months of it, all it does is hold you back.”

Nikolic rode at the Grafton carnival for the first time in 2008 with unplaced rides on Black Ink in the Ramornie and Scattergun in the Grafton Cup.

However, he did win a race for the Joseph Pride stable on Schibello on Ramornie day.

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