Terravista will have the opportunity to score his second straight victory when he contests the 2014 Liverpool City Cup at Warwick Farm this weekend and Gabrielle Englebrecht, the racing manager for trainer Joe Pride, is confident that the talented gelding is up to the task in the Group 3 event.

Gabrielle Englebrecht believes that Terravista has improved from his first-up victory in the Southern Cross Stakes. Photo by: Steve Hart

Terravista returned to the races with a strong win in the Group 3 Southern Cross Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on February 22 and Englebrecht told Home Of Racing that the son of Captain Rio had taken plenty of benefit out of his first-up performance and is in excellent condition heading into the Liverpool City Cup.

“We are really happy with him,” Englebrecht said.

“He seems to have improved off that first-up run and he is so well within himself; he is carrying on like a two-year-old most days.

“He is an improving type and is going super.

“It is another bit of a step-up for him on Saturday, but we think that he is up to the task.”

Terravista will jump from barrier nine out of 12 in the Liverpool City Cup this weekend, but Englebrecht does not believe that the wide gate will be an issue for the four-year-old.

The Joe Pride-trained galloper has shown plenty of tactical versatility during his racing career and Englebrecht said that jockey Jason Collett will be instructed to try and put Terravista in a forward position.

“He has a little bit of gate speed there, so the barrier isn’t such an issue for him,” Englebrecht said.

“We will just be positive on him and get him into a nice spot.”

Terravista has been included in the nominations for both the Group 1 Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Royal Randwick on April and the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at the same venue a week later, but Englebrecht said that there were no firm plans in place for the Southern Cross Stakes winner.

“We are going to take it race by race at this stage,” Englebrecht said.

“There is a lot of races on throughout the carnival that are probably suited to him, but given how much improvement he has shown from last preparation we will just take it race by race and try and pick our mark with him and try and keep his record as outstanding as what it is.”

Terravista is currently on the third line of 2014 Liverpool City Cup betting markets; with talented Kiwi colt El Roca ($3.20) a narrow favourite from exciting mare White Sage ($3.60).