Ball Of Muscle hasn't rated a mention in discussions about The Everest but he is making every post a winner in a last ditch bid for inclusion in the $13 million sweepstakes.
Trainer Joe Pride was quick to point out that he had taken care of half the proposed Everest field in the Heath and The Shorts at his last two starts.
Ball Of Muscle led all the way in The Shorts after running second in the 1100m dash for the past three years, and at eight he might be in the best form of his career.
Muscle bound: Ball Of Muscle leads all the way to win The Shorts.
No one had even talked to Pride about an Everest start.
“Why not,” Pride said about The Everest. “He would be in front for long way and he goes very well at Randwick.
“This is the best he has raced, even though he is eight. His feet have been right this this time and he is showing what he can do.
“He has just beaten three Everest horses there and beat another couple the other day.
"The family just gets better at eight. I have had three from the mare [Parfore] to win stakes races at eight.
“We'll go to Melbourne for the Moir Stakes [on September 28] and try and get that group 1, and then maybe the Everest, who knows.”
The Shorts was robbed of bit of interest when The Everest favourite Redzel was a morning scratching after showing muscle soreness. He will be fully vetted before continuing his campaign.
“He struggled to get out of the box,” Peter Snowden said. “He’s obviously got cast somewhere but there’s not a mark on him.
“At the moment he’s stiff and sore, like he’s pulled a muscle somewhere. We’ll know more in the next 48 hours.”
It was a smart ride from Glyn Schofield on Ball Of Muscle, who bounced to the lead and, when Invincible Star was slowly away, he was able to control the race.
“After I got to the front, I was able to get him to come back under me,” Schofield said. “Coming to the turn I let him flow up the rise and really made them chase, and although they were coming at me, I was holding them on the line.”
Ball Of Muscle ($5) had a half-head to spare on the post from Invincible Star ($2.70 fav), with the unlucky Brave Smash ($4.40) three-quarters of a length back in third.
The placegetters both got passes with respect to their Everest hopes, while English was disappointing as she dropped out to run sixth.
English held up Brave Smash in the straight for a long way. When he got clear, he powered to the line. He will have another run in the Moir Stakes before The Everest.
James McDonald was again pleased with Invincible Star, which continues to go in the right direction for The Everest.
“Very happy with that, was unlucky not to win but I think you could take it as good as a win because she travelled well, sprinted really good, and last time she stopped but today she found the line really well,” McDonald said.
She is likely to run in the Premiere Stakes in a fortnight, according to co-trainer Adrian Bott.
“She showed another dimension travelling off them there and really hit the line hard,” Bott said. “She’ll be better for another run and still has improvement in her.”
English was the disappointment of the race after casting a plate at the barrier.
“She just blew out late. A few of them other horses had had a run. She will improve a lot from it,” jockey Tim Clark said. “It wasn’t ideal losing the plate at the gates, and she pulled a bit of foot off as well, but getting to the Everest she will be alright.”
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