There’ll be no hesitation from trainer John O’Shea to set his sights on the spring with exciting four-year-old Waihaha Falls if he continues on his winning way at Randwick on Saturday.
While John O'Shea is preparing Lost And Running for his second TAB Everest tilt, a win in the ATC Thank You Staff Handicap (1300m) will ensure Waihaha Falls is in the paddock on Monday with a plan to also front up on Everest Day.
"If he can win on Saturday we'd run him in the (Group 3) Sydney Stakes on Everest Day,'' O'Shea said.
"On last year his rating would get him into the race.
"The manner of his wins is stating that he's a little bit better than winter.
"Any young horse that can go through his grades with a good record and have a good margin when they win it's indicative they have a stakes win in them somewhere."
The $500,000 Sydney Stakes (1200m) has become a springboard for topline sprinters with an honour roll since the inception of the TAB Everest including In Her Time (2017) and Pierata (2018), who contested the Everest a year after winning it, and Big Parade last year.
Few onlookers would argue with O'Shea's assertion that Waihaha Falls is stakes class after his demolition job, scoring by almost five lengths, over 1200m at Randwick two weeks ago.
It backed up an easy three length win first-up, confirming the Randwick trainer has another sprinting talent on his hands.
He was able to sustain a long run and sprint home in 35.67 (Punter's Intelligence) for his last 600m, some five lengths faster than the next best, and in heavy ground.
"We were pretty happy with him, he seems to be going along pretty well,'' he said.
"He's progressing each run. He's won at 1500m so it gives Reece (Jones) a bit of confidence to ride him like that if he has to.
"There was never any doubt in our mind he would be effective on wet ground if you go through his pedigree.
"One of the reasons we bought him in at this time of the year is to have him racing when the ground has some give in it."
If there's a challenge facing Waihaha Falls it's a 4kg rise on his last start win.
He stifles the market at $1.50 with TAB on Thursday and while O'Shea will head on course confident he has a healthy respect for rival Titanium Power, who it's likely his charge will have to run down.
"The horse of Joe's has a bit of form, I thought that horse ran really well the other day. He's a good tough hardy horse,'' O'Shea said.
Jal Lei takes her place in the City Tattersalls Group Handicap (1200m) and though it's her first exposure to heavy ground, O'Shea said that's of little concern.
The filly is fitter for two runs back and showed improvement second-up to be narrowly beaten by Dalaalaat under 58.5kg on June 29.
"I would think she would get through the ground off her pedigree, I haven't seen too many Sebrings that didn't handle it,'' O'Shea said.
Meanwhile, Lost And Running is back in the O'Shea system preparing for the spring and his second attempt at the TAB Everest as vision emerged of defending champ Nature Strip arriving back at Chris Waller's stable.
O'Shea's charge ran fourth behind Nature Strip in last year's Everest and he said in his eyes the champion will benefit from his trip to England.
"I don't subscribe to the theory that it's an impediment being in England, I think it's to his advantage,'' O'Shea said.
"While the horses in Australia were freezing and knee deep in mud old Nature Strip is punching around over there with the sun on his back. And he didn't have a taxing time."
Lost And Running shares the third line of TAB's all-in Everest market at $11 with Nature Strip a clear $2.80 favourite.
