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By Ray Hickson

Trainer Joe Pride will have the calendar out to select an appropriate autumn, or late autumn, target for progressive filly The Black Cloud if she keeps her unbeaten record intact at Rosehill on Saturday.

Trainer Joe Pride (Pic: Bradley Photos).

He said with the carnival looming he’s more than happy to press pause on the campaign if the hat-trick is achieved.

The three-year-old has quickly stepped from a provincial maiden win to a midweek success and goes up another notch in the Expect It All This Autumn At ATC Handicap (1200m).

“I’m very curious to see what she shows on Saturday and how much she’s improved,’’ Pride said.

“She looked like she improved from Gosford to the Kenso and if she improves again we might be cooking with gas, we might have a real smart one.

“I’m very mindful of the timing of a three-year-old’s career and how you maximise what they can earn.

“If I keep going now I’m jeopardising what I can get potentially in the autumn if she was to win on Saturday, and if not at least in the winter.”

The Black Cloud, $3.10 with TAB on Thursday, is another relatively inexpensive Proven Thoroughbreds purchase, at $100,000, and everything she’s done to date suggests she’s not done climbing the ladder.

Pride suggested a race like the Group 3 PJ Bell Stakes (1200m) on Day 1 of The Star Championships in April or one of the Scone stakes features in May could be appropriate targets for The Black Cloud.

But first he needs to see her run a solid 1200m and that’s the chief goal of Saturday’s exercise.

“She’s a very fast filly and quite tenacious,’’ he said.

“She’s shown really good fight in both her runs so far, and very good speed, so she’s got plenty of what we’re looking for.

“Hopefully 1200m is even better for her. She’s purely a sprinter, I’ve got no doubt about that, and if she’s going to run beyond 1200m it won’t be much beyond 1200m.”

The fact Estadio Mestalla didn’t have a tough run last weekend, when chasing home Amor Victorious in a sit and sprint, encouraged Pride to back him up in the Breed 4 Speed With Kia Ora Stallions Handicap (1500m).

He said while each horse is an individual, generally if they’ve found the line under circumstances such as the gelding did at Randwick they’ll react well on the back up.

“The run the week before is always important and I find coming off slowly run races is a good time to do it,’’ he said.

“When they’ve had to sprint home the last 600m that’s never too tough a run.”

Estadio Mestalla clocked 35.23 (Punter’s Intelligence) for his last 600m, 0.01 outside the race’s best, which pleased Pride after nothing went his way early on.

“He had no luck last week in a farcical run race. He ended up not jumping that well so plan A went out the window which was going forward,’’ he said.

“He ended up back and a bit deep and in a slowly run race that’s not what you’re after. I thought he stuck on really well under the big weight.

“We’ll roll forward with him and I would think he’ll be really hard to beat.”

Stablemate Mission Phoenix didn’t fire at all when he resumed at Rosehill two weeks ago, finishing 15 lengths behind Robusto, so he’s on notice to improve in the same race.

Pride said he doesn’t expect a complete turnaround in form but a run that suggests he’ll be ready to be a force for the rest of the campaign.

The Black Cloud wins at Kensington on January 17

“He was pretty ordinary the other day. He got caught chasing a hot speed and wasn’t in the contest,’’ Pride said.

“He’ll be better on Saturday but I wouldn’t expect anything until he gets over a mile plus.”

Meanwhile, Private Eye has his second trial on Monday at Rosehill before his Black Caviar Lightning assignment first-up while TAB Everest champion is another week away from his first trial which is due on February 12.

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