While his Group One-winning sibling will have a quiet spring, Ball Of Muscle will be out to carry the mantle at the highest level.
Warwick Farm trainer Joe Pride has plans to return to Melbourne with Ball Of Muscle but no firm spring commitments for his elder half-brother Terravista.
Ball Of Muscle finished second to Buffering in the Moir Stakes at Moonee Valley last October and Pride has inked in that race as his starting point.
“Ball Of Muscle comes back to the stable on Monday and he will go first-up into the Moir Stakes,” Pride said.
“We will also look at Perth and the Winterbottom with him.
“Terravista is another month from coming back and he may only have one run in the spring just to keep him up to the mark.
“We are looking at the autumn with him but I want him to have a preparation in the stable.
“The main thing is to get his feet right. He has a history of quarter cracks which needs to be managed and if we can, I think he has another couple of seasons racing at the top level.”
Despite his hoof problems, Terravista won the 2014 Darley Classic and was a close third last year behind Delectation and Chautauqua.
He was nosed out of the Lightning Stakes in the autumn by Chautauqua after Damien Oliver lost and regathered his whip near the line, an incident Pride thought cost Terravista the race.
With his two best horses in the spelling paddock during the winter, Pride has found an unlikely off-season star in Wine `N’ Dine, a winner at Rosehill on Saturday.
Since November, the six-year-old has had 18 starts and four barrier trials for four wins and four placings and went to Rosehill for the third successive Saturday.
“He barely has a saddle on between races and seems to thrive on racing,” Pride said.
“There’s a race at Randwick for him on Saturday so he may back up again.”
