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By Ray Hickson

There’s always another Everest to aim at so trainer John O’Shea is focused on ending Lost And Running’s spring on a high in Saturday’s $3 million Nature Strip Stakes (1300m) at Rosehill Gardens.

Trainer John O'Shea (Pic: Bradley Photos).

But for Lost And Running’s connections it’s not just a $3 million race, he’s equal leader of the $6m Sportsbet Sydney Sprint Series and a win on Saturday would seal a $2.5 million bonus on top of the $1.725m first prizemoney.

Points in the sprint series are accumulated via participation in at least three of six selected spring sprints with double points on offer in the Nature Strip. Lost And Running and Everest placegetter Mazu sit on eight ahead of Eduardo on seven.

O’Shea said it was naturally disappointing the six-year-old, who won the Premiere Stakes second-up, was ruled out of the Everest with some lameness on race morning but the health of the horse has to come first.

“We’re going to do our best to move on and continue to look after the horse, and hope by looking after he horse he gets his just desserts,’’ he said.

“The frustrating thing for my staff was to aim at a particular race and we felt we’d got it right. We thought we’d produced the right product.

“We were very optimistic about his chances (in the Everest) but we still have a healthy happy horse so that’s the main thing.

“But that’s the beauty of the Everest. You have the luxury of performing each season.”

On the back of his fourth in last year’s Everest, Lost And Running chased home Eduardo in the corresponding race, known then as the Classique Legend Stakes, before winning the Hunter but O’Shea said his performances this spring show he’s a better horse.

Lost And Running appeared in a barrier trial six days after the Everest and while it wasn’t a flashing light trial it was a gallop he had to have, according to O’Shea.

He finished a close second to Saturn Star in the 1030m heat and it didn’t surprise O’Shea that the gelding appeared a little rusty.

“I expected him to be a bit sluggish because he’d been idle and I thought that was a more than acceptable effort,’’ he said.

“He’d had eight or nine idle days, we were very kind to him after the incident and it was important he got back in the game a bit and blew out a few cobwebs.

“They were very quick home, he was chasing a few fast horses.”

Imported galloper Athabascan makes his debut for O’Shea in the $750,000 Rosehill Gold Cup (2000m) and while the four-year-old has only one win to his name from eight starts so far he’s a horse the trainer is enthusiastic about.

Lost And Running's trial at Rosehill on October 21

It’s been less than two months since his last run, a third in a 2400m Listed race in France, and he seems to have settled in well since he arrived at Canterbury.

“He’s a horse we really liked in terms of his form out of Europe so we were really keen to take a piece of him,’’ O’Shea said.

“We were looking at buying another horse in one of his races and I happened to notice the performance of this horse and I thought it had a lot of merit.

“He worked particularly well on Tuesday and we’re really happy with where he is at.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday's Golden Eagle meeting at Rosehill