Terravista No Certainty To Contest The Shorts

Trainer Joe Pride has revealed that Terravista will not return to the races in the 2015 edition of The Shorts if the Royal Randwick track is rated in the heavy range.

Terravista scored a narrow victory over Chautauqua in the 2014 Darley Classic. Photo by: Sarah Ebbett

Terravista scored a narrow victory over Chautauqua in the 2014 Darley Classic. Photo by: Sarah Ebbett

Terravista showed that he was ready to return to the races when he won a barrier trial over 802 metres at Warwick Farm on September 11, but Pride revealed that he is worried about weather reports that suggest Sydney will be hit by rain before the end of the week and he told Racing Ahead that he could elect to save the Captain Rio gelding for the Group 3 Premiere Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on October 3.

“Both trials have been exactly what we wanted to see – better than he trialled in his previous preparation, which is encouraging,” Pride said.

“I’m hoping to get started (on Saturday), but I am a little worried about the weather.

“I won’t be running him on a heavy track first-up.

“If we get the rain that they’ve predicted late in the week, we may not be able to run.

“If that’s the case, he would have another trial and then go to the Premier first-up.”

While Pride is concerned about the prospect of a wet track for The Shorts at Royal Randwick on Saturday, he is delighted with the condition of Terravista ahead of his return to racing.

Terravista is set to contest the Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on October 23 and the Group 1 Darley Classic (1200m) at Flemington on November 7 after resuming in Sydney and Pride believes that Team Hawkes-trained Chautauqua is the only danger to his star sprinter in either Group 1 event.

“I’d love to run him in the Manikato and then the Darley,” Pride said.

“We’ve got to get a run or two into him in Sydney here first and that’ll be our guide, but if he comes up as expected he’ll be extremely hard to beat in Sydney.

“I think Chautauqua is the only horse that can go at his level, they’ve shown that.

“He’s a formidable opponent and we’d love to think we’ll be taking him on in the spring.

“I think Terravista has got a better turn of foot than Chautauqua, but Chautauqua seems able to sustain a sprint for longer and that’s what makes their clashes so good.”

Terravista recorded his maiden win at Group 1 level when he took out the Darley Classic (1200m) during the 2014 Spring Racing Carnival, but he finished third in both the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) and Group 1 T.J. Smith Stakes (1200m) before he failed to fire in the Group 1 All Aged Stakes (1400m).

 

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Thomas Hackett

Thomas is a passionate and opinionated racing journalist and punter who has been obsessed with horse racing since he backed Saintly to win the 1996 Melbourne Cup. An international racing enthusiast, he has his finger on the pulse of racing news not just from Australia but all around the world.