Hugo Palmer has given a Lockinge entry to Short Squeeze
The Lockinge Stakes at Newbury is a potential early-season target for Short Squeeze ahead of a likely trip to Australia.
Last Updated: 06/02/14 10:18am
The four-year-old secured a hat-trick of lucrative handicap victories between July and September last year and was not disgraced on his final start of 2013 when fifth in the Group Three Darley Stakes at Newmarket.
Trainer Hugo Palmer believes his charge has progressed hugely during his winter break and with a couple of Australians now part of the syndicate that owns him, a tilt at the Cox Plate is a possible dream for later in the campaign.
Palmer said: "He looks fantastic at the moment and I very nearly put him in the Lincoln along with Ascription.
"However, the end of season target is to take him to Australia for one of the big mile races or maybe the Cox Plate, so I thought it would be a lot to ask to horse to run in the Lincoln in March and in Australia in November.
"Physically, he has improved enormously over the winter. If he has improved as much on the track as he has looks-wise, we could be in for an exciting year.
"He won't be out too early, but hopefully he'll run somewhere in the spring and we can then give him a mid-season break before thinking about Australia.
"He and Ascription are likely to be entered for similar races and I think both will probably get an entry in the Lockinge at Newbury.
"Other races he could go for include the Doncaster Mile and the bet365 Mile at Sandown, so we'll see how we go."