Trainer Jerome Hunter will wait until race morning before confirming whether Wonder Boy will run at Sandown.
Wonder Boy has been in sparkling form of late and if he takes his place in the MRC Life Member David Sims 90th Birthday (1800m) on Saturday, he will be chasing a third win in his past four starts.
The four-year-old scored at Mornington on April 18 and at Flemington last Saturday while sandwiched in-between was a close second to Von Hauke in the Listed Golden Mile (1600m) at Bendigo on May 2.
Hunter said how soft the Sandown track was rated on Saturday would determine if Wonder Boy started or remains at home at Mornington.
The Sandown circuit was rated a Soft 6 on Thursday.
“I’ll wait until race day to make a final decision as the drier it gets, the more confident I will be about running him,” Hunter said.
“He’s done well since last week to accept, it’s just the ground.”
Wonder Boy will break new ground if he does line up on Saturday, stepping out to 1800m for the first time.
But Wonder Boy’s last three outings have all been at 1600m, a trip that was considered suspect in the past.
“He’s ticked the mile off with two wins in his past three starts and the horse that beat him at Bendigo is a Group 2 winner,” Hunter said.
“I’ll see how far I go as he might go out for a spell after this Saturday.
“He’s had seven runs this prep, so you have to stop eventually.
“As I’ve said to the owners, every week there is a reason to keep him in, even something like the Winter Championship, but eventually you have to bite the bullet and have a break.”
Hunter said there was no lofty plans for Wonder Boy in the spring at this stage and would be guided by how the gelding came back.
“In the spring, we might pick around the edges,” Hunter said.
“Races like the Seymour Cup and then if we get to a better one, he’ll tell us.
“Even if we don’t have a big spring and aim for the summer and autumn, when the ground is better, that might be the way to go.
“He seems to be a better horse in the autumn.”
