Single Gaze jump-out delayed by rain
Kathy O’Hara will have to fly back to Melbourne after Single Gaze’s jump-out was delayed by rain.
Kathy O’Hara will spend even more time travelling between Sydney and Melbourne after a scheduled jump-out session featuring Group 1 winner Single Gaze was postponed.
O’Hara is the regular rider of 2016 Vinery Stud Stakes winner Single Gaze who finished second in the $3 million Caulfield Cup during a six-start Melbourne spring campaign last year.
Single Gaze was scheduled to have a jump-out at Caulfield on Tuesday morning in preparation for her return in Saturday week’s C F Orr Stakes, but overnight rain forced the session of heats to be postponed until Wednesday.
O’Hara rode at Goulburn in NSW on Monday before getting a flight to Melbourne so she could be at Caulfield for Single Gaze’s scheduled hit-out.
O’Hara will be back in NSW riding at Gosford on Tuesday but is scheduled to return to Melbourne to partner Single Gaze in Wednesday’s jump-out.
Canberra trainer Nick Olive said the delay would not impact Single Gaze’s preparation.
Single Gaze arrived in Melbourne from Canberra last Friday and is scheduled to have three starts in the Orr, Peter Young Stakes and Australian Cup before continuing her campaign in Sydney.
The Ranvet Stakes and The BMW are on the agenda, with the Sydney Cup or Queen Elizabeth Stakes also possibilities.
“She’s settled in really good at Caulfield. She seems to love it down here,” Olive said.
“After her last preparation I thought, will she have an autumn campaign because she had such a big campaign last time. But she did really well in the paddock and she looks fantastic now too.
“I feel she might have even improved a little bit.”