A jump-out at Cranbourne on Monday will determine if Lofty Strike makes his racetrack return on the final day of the Caulfield Cup Carnival.
Lofty Strike is entered for the Group 2 Caulfield Sprint (1000m) on Saturday as a lead-up to his main spring target, the Group 1 Champions Sprint (1200m) at Flemington on the final day of Melbourne Cup week.
Trainer Julius Sandhu had considered kicking off Lofty Stroke’s campaign in the Group 2 Schillaci Stakes, won by Asfoora, at Caulfield on Saturday with a view to running in the Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on Cox Plate Day.
But Sandhu reasoned Lofty Strike had not started at Moonee Valley previously.
Lofty Stroke, who has not raced since finishing fourth in The Goodwood at Morphettville in May, will be ridden by Damien Oliver in Saturday’s return.
Sandhu said, timing wise, everything had gone well with the gelding’s preparation.
“We’ve kept every option open ahead of this spring,” Sandhu said.
“We didn’t want to lock in any one specific lead up race in particular because we always knew the end target was to get him to Flemington for the Champions Sprint.
“As we went along week by week, he was dictating more and more what we wanted to do with him.
“There was a very strong lean to him ending up at Caulfield on Caulfield Cup Day. We had the option to coming to Caulfield for the Schillaci Stakes, and then the Manikato Stakes second up and then Flemington.
“But he’d be going to Moonee Valley, which is a track he’s never raced at before, so we’ve opted for the Caulfield Sprint.”
Lofty Stroke has been in work since late July and Sandhu will use Monday’s jump-out as the final piece of work ahead of the four-year-old’s return on Saturday.
Sandhu said there was the possibility of Lofty Strike heading to Perth for the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) at Ascot on December 2.
One appealing factor is Oliver will be in Perth on his farewell tour as the champion jockey’s riding career draws to a close.
