European-trained galloper Side Glance will run in the 2014 Caulfield Stakes next weekend before connections decide whether he backs up in the Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley a week later or chases his second straight win in the Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes (2000m).
Side Glance won the Mackinnon Stakes at Flemington during the 2014 Spring Racing Carnival. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
Side Glance made his Australian racing debut with a credible sixth place finish in the Cox Plate last year before he recorded his maiden win at Group 1 level when he was the beneficiary of a clever ride from jockey Jamie Spencer in the Mackinnon Stakes.
Andrew Balding stable representative Leane Masterson revealed that Side Glance was no certainty to run in the Cox Plate for the second year in a row and said that the ultimate 2014 Spring Racing Carnival target for the veteran gelding would be decided after he runs in the Group 1 Caulfield Stakes (2000m) at the home of the Melbourne Racing Club on October 11.
“He was just a little bit fresh in the Cox Plate, but then he ran a week later and won quite nicely,” Masterson told Racing Ahead.
“He is going to give him a prep run next weekend in the Caulfield Stakes and then we will see how the Cox Plate cuts up before we decide whether he goes for the Cox Plate or back to the Mackinnon.
“I think that he is pretty much coming in with the same sort of form as last year.”
Side Glance has been a consistent performer at the highest level of racing in races right around the world in recent years and in the past twelve months has contested races in the United Kingdom, Australia, Dubai, Hong Kong and The United States.
Masterson said that Side Glance was now a very experienced traveler and had no issues settling in at the International Equine Centre in Werribee since he arrived last Saturday.
“He is a seasoned pro now and he has done it all quite a few times before,” Masterson said.
“He lost about 14 kilos, which is pretty normal for him, but he has put that all back on again and he seems happy.
“I took him out and gave him a nice canter around the track this morning and he was his usual pulling like a steam train.”
Side Glance is currently available at 2014 Cox Plate odds of $67 in the betting market with Ladbrokes Australia.
