Terravista Ready To Run Well First-Up In Premiere Stakes

Joe Pride has confirmed that Terravista will return to the races in the 2015 Premiere Stakes at Royal Randwick on Saturday and the leading Sydney trainer is confident that the star sprinter is ready to run well first-up.

Terravista has the chance to return to winning form in the 2015 Premiere Stakes at Royal Randwick this weekend. Photo by: Steve Hart

Terravista has the chance to return to winning form in the 2015 Premiere Stakes at Royal Randwick this weekend. Photo by: Steve Hart

Terravista has not been seen at the races since he failed to fire in the Group 1 All Aged Stakes (1400m) at Royal Randwick on April 18 and he was scratched from the Group 2 The Shorts (1100m) at Royal Randwick on September 19 due to a wet track, but he has performed extremely well in three barrier trials ahead of his return to racing.

Pride is confident that Terravista will benefit from his run in the 2015 Premiere Stakes, but he told Racing Ahead that the Captain Rio gelding is still forward enough to return to winning form at Royal Randwick this weekend.

“The trial is there for all to see on Friday,” Pride said.

“It was really impressive and he is doing really well here at home.

“He has good improvement in him going to the races for the first time, but he is primed to run well first-up.

“He has had three trials now this preparation and that has him ready to do pretty well.”

Terravista was included in the 2015 Moir Stakes nominations that were released yesterday, but Pride confirmed this morning that Ball Of Muscle would be his only runner in the Group 1 event that will be held at Moonee Valley on Friday night.

Pride said that he never seriously considered sending Terravista to Melbourne for the Moir Stakes, but he threw in a nomination for the six-year-old as an insurance measure in case Sydney was hit by rain before Saturday.

“It was just to cover the bases in case some rain come,” Pride said.

“With these early acceptances it makes it almost impossible to predict what type of track you will be racing on by the time it comes to accept.

“It was just a bit of insurance there or maybe it was just to confuse everybody.”

Terravista will head to Melbourne for the Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on October 23 after he runs in the Premiere Stakes and he will defend his title in the Group 1 Darley Classic (1200m) at Flemington on November 7 before he potentially heads to Hong Kong for the Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) in December.

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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.