The world’s equal top rated sprinter Terravista is still on target for a first-up tilt at the Group 1 $1m Lexus Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Flemington on March 14 even though he ran last in a Warwick Farm barrier trial on Monday.
Terravista is still on track for a first up tilt at the Newmarket Handicap at Flemington. Photo by Steve Hart.
Terravista failed to beat a runner home in the nine horse trial over 803m but rider Hugh Bowman reported that he was happy with the hit out and the five year old gelding was on track for a good Autumn Carnival campaign.
“I was very happy with Terravista, he just had a morning out,’’ Bowman told The Daily Telegraph.
“It will be a little while before he is ready to race.’’
Bowman had the classy sprinter under double wraps all the way and after jumping with the leading bunch, the premiership leading jockey took hold and let him stroll to line in the straight.
Speedster I’m All The Talk was sent to the lead in the early stages and strode away in the straight to score a five lengths win in the trial over Knoydart and Terravista’s stablemate Tiger Tees.
Trainer Joe Pride had set a long range plan to run Terravista first-up in the Newmarket Handicap after the he scored his maiden Group 1 win in the $1m Darley Classic over the same course and distance as the Newmarket on the last day of the 2014 Melbourne Cup Carnival.
Pride is also banking on Terravista’s perfect four from four first-up record to help him when he tackles the $1m sprint down the famous Flemington straight.
“I would like to take him to the Newmarket first-up and then three weeks into the TJ Smith and then we probably run him in the All Aged and that might nearly do us,” Pride told Racing Ahead.
“He is four from four first-up and he has never looked like being beaten first-up.
“He is a super horse fresh and I didn’t want to run him in the Lightning because I think that it is an extra run he doesn’t need and I think he can win that Newmarket first-up.”
“He is in fantastic order and I couldn’t be happier with him. He has bulked up”
Terravista beat the Team Hawkes trained Chautauqua and Mick Price’s super sprinter Lankan Rupee in the Darley Classic and the three are likely to clash again in the Newmarket Handicap.
Terravista and Lankan Rupee were rated the equal top sprinters in the world in the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings (WBRR) for 2014 when they were released by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) in London in January.
Both sprinters recorded Group 1 wins over the 2014 Melbourne Spring Carnival and were both rated at 123 with the promising Chautauqua hot on their heels with a rating of 122 following his second to Terravista in the Darley Classic.
Lankan Rupee’s only Group 1 success in the Spring was his narrow win in the $1m Sportingbet Manikato Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley but that was on the back a Group 1 winning hat trick during the 2014 Autumn Carnival.
The Mick Price trained super sprinter took out the $400,000 Sportingbet Oakleigh Plate (1100m) at Caulfield, the $1m Lexus Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Flemington and the $2.5m Darley T J Smith Stakes (1200m) at Randwick.
In early Newmarket Handicap markets with Ladbrokes.com.au, Chautauqua at $4.20 holds a slight advantage over Terravista at $4.80 with the undefeated Deep Field at $5 while Lankan Rupee is rated as a $7 chance.
