Terravista is currently available at Show County Quality odds of $2.70 and is a clear favourite to make a winning start to his 2014 Spring Racing Carnival campaign in the Group 3 event at Royal Randwick tomorrow.
Terravista will be kept to sprinting trips during his 2014 Spring Racing Carnival campaign. Photo by: Steve Hart
Terravista opened at a quote of $2.80 in Show County Quality betting markets and drifted out to $3 before he was quickly backed into his current price of $2.70.
Trainer Joe Pride has always had a high opinion of Terravista, but he told Racing Ahead yesterday that he believes the five-year-old has gone to another level this preparation and will prove very tough to beat in the Group 3 Show County Quality this weekend.
“He is in really good order and he has just constantly improved every preparation since he was a young horse,” Pride said.
“I am expecting him to go to a new level this time around, he is a really exciting horse.
“I think he will just be trained for some sprint races this time around and he has got a super turn-of-foot and hopefully that will be evident even on a soft track.”
Terravista failed to fire in his only previous race start on a rain affected surface in the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill Gardens on March 29, but Pride remains confident that the talented gelding will handle the wet track at Royal Randwick tomorrow and feels that the half-brother to Tiger Tees will get a lovely trail into the race from barrier seven.
“He is by Captain Rio and if there is one thing that Captain Rio horses are it is wet-trackers,” Pride said.
“Being out of this mare Parfore, who everything else out of handles wet tracks, so you would be disappointed if he was the one that couldn’t.
“We will just sort of see how the track is playing on the day, but I imagine that he would just sit off the pace.
“That is the pattern and I wouldn’t be expecting anything else on Saturday.”
Terravista is set to run in the Group 2 The Shorts (1100m) at Royal Randwick on September 20 and Group 2 Premiere Stakes (1200m) at the same venue on October 4 before heading to Melbourne for the first time in his racing career.
Cluster is on the second line of betting, but has drifted out to Show County Quality odds of $5, while Chris Waller-trained Bull Point ($7.50) has received a sprinkling of support with Ladbrokes Australia.
