Single Gaze pleases in Caulfield jump-out

Canberra trainer Nick Olive believes his stable star Single Gaze has improved again as she builds up for autumn targets in Melbourne and Sydney.

Single Gaze was runner-up in the $3 million Caulfield Cup during a six-start spring preparation in Melbourne and is back preparing to resume in Saturday week’s Group One C F Orr Stakes (1400m).

The five-year-old had a jump-out on Tuesday morning at Caulfield with her regular jockey Kathy O’Hara making a flying visit to ride the mare.

Both Olive and O’Hara were delighted with the Group One 2016 Vinery Stud Stakes winner’s 800m work-out on the steeple grass.

“I thought she went super,” Olive said.

“It was good to get her going the Melbourne way of going again and it was a good hit-out for her. Fitness-wise she is coming along beautifully.

“I think she’s going even better than what she was in the spring, so we’ll see when she gets to the races.

“Obviously the Orr is a starting point for her and I don’t expect her to be competitive in that, although I expect her to run a nice race.

“But after that I think she’ll be very competitive.”

After the Orr, Single Gaze is scheduled to run in the Peter Young Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield and the Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington.

The Ranvet Stakes (2000m) and BMW (2400m) in Sydney are also on the agenda along with the Sydney Cup or Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

Olive pinpointed the Melbourne carnival as the most suitable for Single Gaze’s first three starts.

“I just feel the races flow a bit better down here and obviously she will not be taking on Winx either,” Olive said.

Single Gaze was originally scheduled to have a jump-out on Tuesday but rain forced the session to be pushed back a day.

Sydney-based O’Hara has had a busy few days.

O’Hara rode at Goulburn in NSW on Monday before flying to Melbourne.

When the jump-outs were postponed on Tuesday morning, O’Hara flew back to ride at Gosford before returning to Melbourne for Wednesday’s gallop.

O’Hara has two rides at Kembla Grange in NSW on Wednesday afternoon.