Joe Pride is looking to strike while the iron is hot with Takeover Target Stakes winner Title set to back up in Saturday’s Listed Civic Stakes at Rosehill.
After causing an upset in the Listed feature at Gosford on Friday with Title, Pride was unsure whether to stick to his original plan of backing the horse up in the Civic Stakes.
But after monitoring how Title pulled up from his tough victory, where he sat three wide on the speed, Pride said it was all systems go.
“He’s seems to have come through the race well so I’d say he’ll be at Rosehill next Saturday for the Civic Stakes,” Pride said.
“I can’t see any reason why he won’t be there at this stage.”
Pride had been targeting the Civic Stakes with the four-year-old and was using the Takeover Target Stakes as a stepping stone to the event.
However, there was a chink in $1.30 favourite Squamosa’s armour at Gosford and it was Title who capitalised with a 2-1/-4-length victory.
“The Civic Stakes was always the original plan, I just didn’t expect to win on Friday,” Pride said.
“But that was great.”
Jay Ford has built up a formidable partnership with Title this season in six rides aboard the son of Honours List, and he will retain the mount.
“He’s had six rides on the horse for four wins, a second and a fourth,” Pride said.
“Most of the guys are back riding in Sydney next week but I couldn’t take him off the horse.”
A winner of seven of his 17 starts, Title’s victory at Gosford was his first attempt at stakes level.
The gelding went off the boil in a two-run campaign earlier this year so Pride sent him for a short break and it has done the trick.
“I brought him back in and he’s been very consistent in his four runs since then,” Pride said.
AAP TURF
