By Eamonn Tiernan
Single Gaze could become the first Canberra horse in 14 years to run at the Melbourne Cup with the champion mare a strong chance to feature in the race that stops a nation.
The five-year-old is two races through her Caulfield Cup campaign and will next run in the Underwood Stakes on Saturday week in preparation for the $3 million dash at Caulfield on October 21.
Canberra champion mare Single Gaze avoids Winx en route to Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup. Credit: Jamila Toderas
Single Gaze has also nominated for the $6.2 million Melbourne Cup and trainer Nick Olive confirmed the group 1-winner is a strong chance to feature at Flemington on November 7.
"It's definitely an option the Melbourne Cup, we're quite high up in the ballot in that and if she's racing well and tells us she wants to go and is looking for that trip, it's certainly a possibility," Olive said.
"But at the moment we're just focused on the Caulfield and touch wood everything goes right between now and then, after that we can look at the Melbourne Cup.
"When you talk about that sort of stuff nothing else seems important, just to have a horse of her calibre in races like those and having raced so well last start, it's bloody exciting."
Olive was tossing up between the Underwood (1800m) and the Turnbull Stakes (2000m) and after going with the former has avoided a clash with the world's best horse Winx, who is chasing her 21st straight win.
"To be honest we'd already made the decision [before Winx declared for the Turnbull], it's just a nice natural progression for her," Olive said.
"But I think a lot of people putting together a program for a horse this year would be trying to avoid Winx, Hartnell is one example, but a lot more have as well.
"But running second to her is a pretty big achievement so I'm sure plenty of owners would still want their horse in a race against her."
Olive said Winx is as good a horse as he's seen and backed the mighty mare to beat Black Cavier's record of 25 consecutive wins.
"Black Caviar was very good as well but didn't cover the distance range which Winx has," Olive said.
"They've both done some pretty incredible things and we're lucky to have seen two horses like that in such a short space of time.
"I think she can go past that 25 as long as she stays healthy and sound minded, if Chris [trainer Chris Waller] is ever in doubt he'll pull the pin, but if she stays fit she'll definitely get there."
Fellow Canberra horse Fell Swoop finished sixth first-up in the group 2 Shorts (1100m) ahead of champion sprinter Chautauqua at Randwick last week.
It marked the first clash between the geldings ahead of a showdown in the $10 million Everest (1200m), the world's richest race on turf, in Sydney on October 14.
Trainer Matt Dale is leaning towards the Premiere Stakes (1200m) at Randwick over the Moir Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley for Fell Swoop's final race before the Everest.
"Last Saturday in Sydney I was a bit anxious and nervous first-up for such a big campaign, so it was good to get that run out of the way and he was right on expectation with where he's at," Dale said.
"He's come through well and we'll look for natural improvement off the back off that, he's building nicely and I'm really looking forward to the next couple."
Dale has four runners in Canberra on Friday with Luzonica [race one], Exaggerate [race three], Super Star Bob [race four] and Fun Tickets [race five].
Olive has five running at Thoroughbred Park with Standoubt [race two], Bring A Secret and Rhomlo [race four], Planet Earth [race five] and Lovespeed Girls [race seven].