Sherlock is to have a northern detour to his trip to Australia for the rich Vicbred series and is likely to have a lead up race there on August 17. Almost at the same time NZ Cup candidates Self Assured and Akuta will cross in the opposite direction heading home to begin serious preparations for the big race.
The rest of the Vicbred and Melbourne feature trotting candidates leave early this month,We Can Have It All being the stable representative in the trotting section of the Vicbred, the finals of which carry a stake of $100,000.High Energy and High Step are contenders in other spring features at the rich Victorian carnival.
“I will be over there with them for three weeks through the Vicbred series and we will assess things from there” Nathan said.
While Self Assured and Akuta have basically been R and R but will soon be in more serious tasks.
“They had a month off then a month on the water walker. On our past experience with those timings they might jog for a week and then be ready for hoppled work.But we will assess that when the time comes”
Those pair arrive back in the stable August 7.Oscar Bonavena has followed a similar programme.
The postponement of trials in a wet Canterbury is not posing serious problems for the stable at this time.
“We will be at Addington with a few on Wednesday and you sort of plan for these things when it is this time of the year”