A track gallop on Wednesday will determine whether impressive debut winner Murt The Flirt lines up at Sandown.
Murt The Flirt will work the clockwise direction at Caulfield as a precursor to an intended trip to the Gold Coast.
But if he shows trainer Brendan McCarthy he is not suited to the right-handed way of racing then he is likely to line up in a 1000m Benchmark 78 race at Sandown on Saturday.
Murt The Flirt scored an impressive debut victory in the Magic Millions 3YO Classic over 1100m at Ballarat on November 22.
McCarthy is testing the gelding for a trip to Wyong for the $100,000 Magic Millions 3YO Stakes (1200m) on December 18, a lead-up to the $1 million Gold Coast Magic Millions 3YO Guineas (1400m) on January 10.
“He’s going to have a gallop the reverse way on Wednesday and if he happened to not handle it all that well, or if there are not that many in the race on Saturday, then we might change our plans,” McCarthy said.
Murt The Flirt has handled the clockwise direction in slow work but McCarthy is keen to give the son of Murtajill a more thorough hit-out.
McCarthy said Murt The Flirt had only had light work since his debut win after he proved a handful for his strapper pre-race at Ballarat where the strong wind and big crowd had affected the newcomer.
“It was his first day at the races,” McCarthy said.
“There was a big crowd, the wind was blowing a gale, the CUB draught horses and carriage had just gone past the mounting yard and there were doors banging.
“It was all a new experience for a first starter and it would have affected any horse.”
McCarthy said everything with the gelding had been good since his debut win and believed there was no reason why he could not run up to that performance again.
“He’s happy and well and ready to run well again,” McCarthy said.
