Docklands and Hayley Turner win at Ascot © Photo Healy Racing
Harry Eustace is leaning towards the Juddmonte International as a next port of call for Docklands ahead of his Australian foray.
The four-year-old has run three times this season and come home the runner-up on each occasion, missing out on the Paradise Stakes and the Prix de Montretout by narrow margins before heading to Royal Ascot.
There, he was a 10-1 chance for the Queen Anne Stakes and ran a fine race to finish second to Charyn at Group One level, altering the ambition of targets later in the year.
The Cox Plate is the main aim, prior to which the bay could line up in the Juddmonte International at York and after which he may even be bound for Hong Kong.
“He’s great. Oz has always been the plan for him, but after Ascot it probably changed the targets we had in mind,” Eustace said.
“But because Oz was always the plan, he had three relatively quick runs at the start of the year and we are just trying to manage him enough to take down a fresh horse.
“He will run in the Cox Plate. I’d imagine there is another option after the Cox Plate, whether that’s in the (VRC) Champions Stakes (in Melbourne), we will see how he runs, and depending on how he runs, you never know, you might get an invite to Hong Kong on the way back.
“So, he could have a busy end of the year, but seems in good form. It will be a hot race, as it should be, it’s the Juddmonte. The better race we run him in, the better he runs.
“He has every right to be running, and it’s just where the older horses match up with the three-year-olds – and until we take them on, we won’t know.
“We are very much training him towards the Juddmonte. I suppose it will be weather and ground that might alter our options more than how he’s training at home. He’s training as well as ever, and if he can reproduce his Ascot form, he’ll run a big race – where that puts him, we’ll hopefully find out.
“As far as I’m aware, the plan is for him to come back after his raid to Australia. The fact he enjoys the straight track at Ascot is a big plus and there’s a lot to be said for that. That’s certainly the plan, but nothing with horses is set in stone.”
Eustace confirmed regular jockey Hayley Turner will be back aboard the four-year-old for the Group One at the Knavesmire, but he will be sourcing a local jockey for the tilt at Cox Plate glory.
“She’ll ride in the Juddmonte. We’ll almost certainly have a local jockey for Australia,” he added.
“Moonee Valley is like Chester, it takes a fair bit of knowing and I would say that is the case. I would imagine, say post-York, we will start to think about who might ride, but let’s get York out the way first.”
The Park Lodge Stables handler is set to be reunited with elder brother David, who has had plenty of success over the last six years as a co-trainer alongside Ciaron Maher in Australia, as his sibling embarks on a sole training career in Hong Kong.
He joked: “I think he plans to come to Oz if we run, which would be exciting. We’ve finally found one good enough to take down and he’s left, which is a bit of a shame!”
Eustace has two further horses possibly set to head to Australia in Crystal Delight and Ziggy, who are both due to line up in the Ebor with an eye on the Caulfield Cup and possibly then the Melbourne Cup, should either secure a place at York.
“They are both good. I have to say both have got an entry (in the Caulfield Cup) because they both look like running in the Ebor, and the Ebor’s a win-and-you’re-in for the Melbourne Cup,” the trainer said when speaking about the pair.
“It was very much best-case scenario, rather than a long-term plan, as if either of them manages to actually win the Ebor and decide to go to Oz, you’d want to be able to run in the Caulfield, so that’s why we did that.”
