This week the race of her life and next week even better.
That's how Canberra trainer Nick Olive is hoping the next eight days play out for his stable star Single Gaze as she prepares for one of Australia's biggest races - the $3 million Caulfield Cup (2400 metres) Saturday week.
But first she has the group 1 Caulfield Stakes (2000m), where she is a $19 hope behind the two favourites - Bonneval ($2.90) and Hartnell ($3.30).
Olive was excited about the five-year-old mare's prospects as she extends out to 2000m for the first time this preparation and he was confident she would be in the mix for her second group 1 win.
But with the main event for the daughter of Not A Single Doubt not until a week after the Caulfield Stakes, Olive was hoping she'd go to another level seven days later.
He was confident his gutsy little mare would be able to handle backing up from Saturday's run a week later in the biggest race of her career.
The Caulfield Cup is the one she's been set for from the start, with the potential of a tilt in the race that stops a nation, the $6 million Melbourne Cup (3200m).
Single Gaze has slowly been building this preparation to finish fourth in the Underwood Stakes (1800m) last start - less than two lengths behind winner Bonneval and a length off Hartnell.
"The horse is just in great nick and I think she's ready to run the race of her life," Olive said.
"She's drawn [barrier] 1, so drawn to get a nice run, everything's good. Hopefully she's ready to run an even better one next week."
While Olive will be in Melbourne, he also has a couple of chances running as part of The Everest day at Randwick in Sydney.
Bring A Secret ($13) is the topweight in the $200,000 Anniversary Handicap (1400m) with Suncraze the $3.90 favourite, while Fox Tales is a $15 shot in race 10.
Canberra trainers will be punted from the lucrative Highway Handicap series, of which the Anniversary is the showcase, but Olive said they wouldn't worry about that until December 3 when the ban comes into effect.
Bring A Secret is one of five Canberra horses including emergencies in the Anniversary, with another five in the Highway Consolation (1400m).
"We can't worry about that now, the decision's been made and we'll just try and pick up the last bit of prizemoney we can," Olive said.
