By Chris Roots
Joe Pride will be on weather watch for New Tipperary and Ball Of Muscle in Sydney as he heads to Melbourne looking for back-to-back group 1s with Terravista in the Newmarket Handicap at Flemington on Saturday.
"The two at Rosehill need firmer going, so if it is heavy we can wait for another day," Pride said. "It would be a waste of time taking them to the races if it is really wet because they just don't like it."
Pride of the team: Terravista (orange silks) launches through to win the Lightning Stakes at Flemington in February.Credit: Getty Images
New Tipperary came through the grades in spring scoring a hat-trick of wins on good surfaces and is starting to get to his distance range in the Ajax Stakes at 1500 metres.
Pride believes he will be better when he gets to 2000 metres but knows there should be enough pressure for him to show up at Rosehill on Saturday.
"I just want to be careful with him because the horse is a work in progress. He is far from being finished yet and he takes some riding as we have seen, and Brenton Avdulla does a good job on him," Pride said.
"There is another race for him next week if we have to wait, and I have left his program open because I don't know where he could end up because he is that type of of horse that could keep stepping up.
"They should go quick enough for him at this level and as we have seen he is very tough and is a nice horse in the making."
Pride will be in Melbourne for Terravista's shot at a third straight group 1 success as he tries to complete the triple crown of Flemington sprints after winning a Darley Classic and the Lightning Stakes last start.
"He loves the straight but once you get to this level, it very hard to win every time you go around," Pride said.
"The horse is great but he has to give them all weight and to tell you the truth I would be very happy finishing in the first three."
Terravista's half-brother Ball Of Muscle has accepted for the Maurice McCarten Stakes earlier in the afternoon at Rosehill, but it will depend on the track if he will start.
"He has had one go on the heavy and was hopeless in it," Pride said. "If he doesn't run on Saturday, we would look to giving him a freshen-up for Brisbane.
"He is a full brother to Tiger Tees, which was a swimmer, but you have never seen two more different horses. Ball Of Muscle is a big, bulky sprinter that needs firmer going."
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