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By Ray Hickson

A Wyong and/or Newcastle Cup will come onto trainer Joe Pride’s radar with emerging stayer Cyber Intervention if he surges through the grades in the coming month.

Trainer Joe Pride (Pic: Bradley Photos)

The five-year-old comes off two eye catching runs this preparation into the Industry Recognition Race Day Handicap (1800m) at Randwick on Saturday where Pride is confident but not taking any result for granted.

“I don’t know if you can ever do that in Sydney racing, he’s still not up to his optimum distance yet but I’d like to think he’d pick up something like this along the way,’’ he said.

“Luck plays a vital role as you saw with him last start, he could easily have won that race but he had an awkward draw and got into a difficult spot.’’

Cyber Intervention has won three of his 11 starts and stamped himself as a coming winner with a slashing second behind Curragh over 1500m at Rosehill three weeks ago.

He clocked the fastest last 600m of the race, running 36.02, and Punter’s Intelligence sectional data also shows his 800m to 200m section was run in a slick 35.88.

Pride sent the gelding back to the trials to compensate for the three week gap between runs.

“I was happy with the trial, it was just a quiet time getting him to relax out the back and find the line,’’ he said.

“Heavy won’t worry him though I’d rather a slightly better surface, mainly because horses pull up better when they run on better surfaces, but his two runs have been spot on and I’m expecting improvement up in trip.’’

Feature provincial Cup races like the Listed $160,000 Wyong Gold Cup (2100m) on September 6 and Group 3 $200,000 Newcastle Gold Cup (2300m) two weeks later hold some appeal for Pride, particularly the latter on a roomy track.

“If he can win one of his next couple I would definitely consider that with him,’’ he said.

“Once you’ve won five or six I don’t mind putting them up against that level. He’s still six to 12 months away from being the finished article and by that time I’d like to think he’d be a grade above a Newcastle or Wyong Cup.’’

Cyber Intervention was $3.40 favourite with TAB on Thursday but that could shorten as trainer David Payne has cast some doubt over whether Costello will take his place in the race.

Payne said Costello, who also showed he’s nearing a win with a second-up second placing, isn’t quite at home on heavy tracks and is looking at a 2000m Benchmark 78 race at Rosehill on Saturday week as an alternative.

“He’s a very good horse but I’m not going to push him, we’ll go through the grades,’’ Payne said.

“He’s only a young horse so he has plenty of time to run in the features, if we sit and wait and let him mature we should have a handy horse.

Cyber Intervention runs second at Rosehill on July 13

“He’s not 100 per cent to go around, if it is going to be heavy I’d rather wait.’’

Meanwhile, Pride warned not to undersell La Chica Bella in the NSW Racehorse Owners Association Trophy (1600m) after an improved effort two weeks ago.

The mare is a $5.50 chance on the back of running fifth after leading behind Bangkok over 1400m.

“She got it together the other day and raced in front where there was no advantage down on the fence,’’ Pride said.

“I thought she fought on bravely and she finds herself in a race with a light weight and her profile suggests that’s what she needs.’’

Pride’s Golden Eagle hopeful Fasika is scheduled to have her first trial next Friday at Warwick Farm while enduring sprinter Ball Of Muscle will trial on Monday week at Randwick.

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