Group One winning sprinter Terravista will soon arrive back in Joe Pride’s stable for a spring preparation which will not include any competitive racing.
Rather than run him in any of the upcoming big sprints, Pride will give Terravista one or two barrier trials and send him out for another spell with the autumn in mind.
The trainer is keen to make sure Terravista doesn’t spend the next few months getting fat in a paddock but also mindful of the seven-year-old’s history of feet problems.
“He is due back in the stable at the end of August,” Pride said.
“There will be no spring racing for him.
“I will give him a barrier trial or two but I really want to get his feet right.
“That way we can maximise his chances of one or two more seasons of racing.
“The idea is to give him four months off and then get him ready for the Lightning Stakes again.
This year’s Lightning Stakes is a race Pride regards as the Group One win that got away.
Terravista looked certain to win but was nabbed by Chautauqua and beaten a nose after Damien Oliver lost control of his whip in the final few metres.
Chautauqua, second to Terravista in the 2014 Darley Classic, has gone on to claim the ranking as the world’s best sprinter.
While he won’t send Terravista to the races this spring, Pride is looking forward to his half-brother Ball of Muscle making the step up to Group One winner.
“Ball Of Muscle will have a trial on the 26th of August and then possibly follow the same path as last year in the Concorde Stakes, The Shorts and possibly the Moir,” Pride said.
Ball Of Muscle was placed in the 2015 Concorde and The Shorts before running second to Buffering in the Moir Stakes at Moonee Valley in October.
