MELBOURNE - Trainer Paul O'Sullivan will decide on Saturday whether to make the final Melbourne Cup payment for Pravda.
The final Cup payment of $A16,500 ($21,747) is due on Saturday night and a training gallop that morning will determine if a cheque to the Victoria Racing Club is written.
"I'll work her Thursday and Saturday and make a decision from there," said O'Sullivan.
O'Sullivan was to return to Melbourne last night and Pravda's likely cup jockey Chris Munce would partner the horse in her Saturday gallop.
"He's ridden her in work a lot and he should know when she's going well and when she's going not so well."
Pravda was 26th in the order of entry for next Tuesday's Melbourne Cup from the 40 horses that were among the third declarations which closed on Tuesday. The field is limited to 24 and it seems Pravda would likely gain a start because the attrition rate after Saturday's racing can be high.
But at the same time other horses can improve their positions and Pravda is not racing on Saturday.
O'Sullivan said the Sydney-based Munce, who has a great record with stayers, was at this stage only Pravda's likely rider.
"I think he'll ride her. I said if you get a good ride between now and then take it, in case we don't run.
"I spoke to him on Monday night and he said at this stage, he'll ride her.
"I said I won't hold you to it because we are not 100 per cent sure she'll run."
Pravda was one of the disappointments of the $A2 million Caulfield Cup (2400m) at her last start on October 21. She finished 10th of the 18 runners but O'Sullivan said her chances were not helped by being part of a hectic early pace.
"They ran 59 seconds for the first 1000m and she was four wide, going forward, out of the straight.
"Once they had gone a half-mile (800m) I said to the owner she can't win. She's just done too much work."
Responsible for much of the early speed was Fairway, who held on for third, but O'Sullivan said he was an exception.
O'Sullivan was heartened by a comment from Sydney jockey Glenn Boss that his horse Falls A Shadow was the one to beat in Saturday's $A1 million VRC Derby for three-year-olds.
Falls A Shadow was an unlucky runner at Caulfield at his last start and Boss said the horse would be better suited to the bigger Flemington track and the 2500m of the derby.
"I think Falls A Shadow is the sleeper in the race," Boss said.
"He had no luck the other day. He was not comfortable between horses and if he has held his form, he's the horse to beat I would imagine."
At a previous start Falls A Shadow had finished second to Universal Prince in the Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) in Sydney.
- NZPA
Racing: Pravda's D-day to be Saturday
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