The last-start Christmas Handicap runner-up is nominated at Caulfield and for the metropolitan meeting at Gawler and Jolly said he was leaning towards staying in SA at the early stage.
“We’ve nominated for both here and Melbourne, but I am leaning towards running him at Gawler,” Jolly said.
“There are a few nice races going forward I think we can look at with him here during the carnival, so loading him on the float and going to Melbourne might take the edge off him.
“But Gawler can be a funny track, sometimes suiting the leaders or them coming down the outside fence. I would like to stay here with him at this stage, I think he might have taken things to another level this time around,” he said.
Jolly has produced three winners from his past six runners, including an impressive victory by Appalachian at Murray Bridge last weekend, and said he would be stepping up the campaign of stable star Behemoth in the coming weeks ahead of his likely return to racing in the Durbridge Stakes at Morphettville.
“I’ll start looking for an official jump-out with him,” Jolly said.
“He’s ticking along well, and he will most likely resume here in the Durbridge before heading to Melbourne,” he said.
Behemoth will again target the rich All-Star Mile at Flemington in March with the Group 1 Futurity Stakes at Caulfield on February 11 his likely lead-in.
Voting for the All-Star Mile will open on January 22.
