Xtravagant
Trish Dunell
Cox Plate contender Xtravagant is booked on a flight to Melbourne on Wednesday week.
"He'll be staying at Flemington and he will be trial at Caulfield on August 9 and after that we will decide where he will kick off," said Stephen Autridge, who trains the rising four-year-old with Jamie Richards.
A return to Caulfield on August 27 for the Gr.3 Heath Stakes, a race won last year by the former New Zealand-trained mare Bounding, over 1100 metres is one option to start Xtravagant's spring preparation.
"He's come back really well after a break and all our riders who have been on him are saying he's much stronger now," Autridge said.
"The main objectives after a run or two will be the Group Ones at the carnival and a crack at the Cox Plate."
Xtravagant has enjoyed a memorable season highlighted by his runaway victory in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas and his eight length drubbing of his older rivals in the Gr.1 NRM Sprint.
The son of Pentire, who also won the Gr.3 Cambridge Breeders' Stakes, features strongly in the New Zealand Thoroughbred Horse of the Year Awards as a finalist in the champion three-year-old and champion sprint divisions.
Xtravagant's stablemate Shillelagh has also been pencilled in for a Melbourne campaign.
"We're going to send her over a week later to give the colt time to settle in before she turns up," Autridge said.
Shillelagh has won four of her six starts for prominent Hunterville breeder-owners Christopher and Susanna Grace, the last of them at Ruakaka last month.
"She'll have a couple of Saturday races to start with and hopefully she will be going well enough come carnival time for the fillies and mares' races," Autridge said.
The Savabeel four-year-old's family is well known in Australia as she is a sister to the Gr.2 Brisbane Cup winner and the Gr.1 Caulfield Cup placegetter Tullamore. – NZ Racing Desk.
"He'll be staying at Flemington and he will be trial at Caulfield on August 9 and after that we will decide where he will kick off," said Stephen Autridge, who trains the rising four-year-old with Jamie Richards.
A return to Caulfield on August 27 for the Gr.3 Heath Stakes, a race won last year by the former New Zealand-trained mare Bounding, over 1100 metres is one option to start Xtravagant's spring preparation.
"He's come back really well after a break and all our riders who have been on him are saying he's much stronger now," Autridge said.
"The main objectives after a run or two will be the Group Ones at the carnival and a crack at the Cox Plate."
Xtravagant has enjoyed a memorable season highlighted by his runaway victory in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas and his eight length drubbing of his older rivals in the Gr.1 NRM Sprint.
The son of Pentire, who also won the Gr.3 Cambridge Breeders' Stakes, features strongly in the New Zealand Thoroughbred Horse of the Year Awards as a finalist in the champion three-year-old and champion sprint divisions.
Xtravagant's stablemate Shillelagh has also been pencilled in for a Melbourne campaign.
"We're going to send her over a week later to give the colt time to settle in before she turns up," Autridge said.
Shillelagh has won four of her six starts for prominent Hunterville breeder-owners Christopher and Susanna Grace, the last of them at Ruakaka last month.
"She'll have a couple of Saturday races to start with and hopefully she will be going well enough come carnival time for the fillies and mares' races," Autridge said.
The Savabeel four-year-old's family is well known in Australia as she is a sister to the Gr.2 Brisbane Cup winner and the Gr.1 Caulfield Cup placegetter Tullamore. – NZ Racing Desk.