South Australian trainer Travis Doudle has the Swan Hill Cup earmarked for his consistent money spinner Not Usual Glorious.
But how the eight-year-old gets to that race over 1600m on June 8 remains weather dependent.
Not Usual Glorious won the Swan Hill Cup in 2023 and Doudle said track conditions in the northern part of Victoria at that time of the year should suit the gelding.
Doudle has Not Usual Glorious entered in two races at Sandown on Saturday as a lead-up to the Swan Hill Cup – a benchmark 84 over 1600m, in which he has been allotted 62.5kg, and a benchmark 100 over 1800m in which he has 54.5kg.
A first-up winner at Warrnambool on soft ground earlier in the month, Not Usual Glorious has maintained his form since.
Doudle said he was not committed to a start on Saturday, with the weather a consideration.
“I will keep an eye on progressive acceptances and see how the races are unfolding and then I’ll be keeping an eye on the weather,” Doudle said.
“The wetter better for him.
“He’s in a really good place at the moment, so we’re just keeping him ticking over and we can pull the trigger whenever we find the right race.
“Swan Hill is his main goal. I think it’s a really good race for him.
“If it does get wet for their carnival, the track is going to be pretty rough by the last day, and we know that he loves it.
“We know that we will get something of an affected track on the last day, so it just depends on track conditions where we head, and even if we do accept for Sandown, I probably won’t make my mind up until Thursday.”
Doudle said Not Usual Glorious had galloped well on Tuesday morning to show he was in a good space, and if suitable track conditions cannot be found he would have no concerns about heading to Swan Hill without another start.
With rain constantly falling in NSW, a trip to Sydney has not been completely ruled out by Doudle, although the trip to and from Adelaide may prove taxing.
“It’s about a 14-hour trip if you cut up through the middle, so it’s a bit of a journey and that’s probably what stops us going up there more than I would like,” Doudle said.
