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By Ray Hickson

Trainer John Sargent is certain the step up to a middle distance is what Group 1 placed mare Luvaluva needs to break a frustrating run of outs at Randwick on Thursday.

Trainer John Sargent.

The Group 3 $160,000 Summer Cup (2000m) will be the mare’s last run this campaign and Sargent would like to see her go out with a confidence boosting win - both for horse and trainer.

The race proved to be a springboard for last year's winner Fierce Impact, a dual Group 1 winner this spring, and Sargent hopes Luvaluva can go on to bigger and better things in 2020.

Luvaluva has been far from disgraced in her three starts in the spring and it’s been a month between runs since her 1.6 length sixth in the $1m The Gong (1600m) at Kembla Grange.

“It’s been a while, she has been unlucky a few times but you have to put that aside,’’ Sargent said.

“I’d like to see her front up and it’s a good chance for her, hopefully she can get some confidence back with a win.

“She’s a horse I think will be even better at 2400m or 2200m but we just kept her to the mile because of the Gong.’’

It’s been well documented that Luvaluva hasn’t won since the Adrian Knox in April 2018, run over the Randwick 2000m.

Sargent was initially critical of the five-year-old’s performance at Kembla Grange but on reflection says her effort was as good as it could have been.

Punter's Intelligence sectional data shows Luvaluva covered an extra 9.6m in the run, only two others did more work, and still ran a respectable 34.86 for her last 600m.

“There wasn’t any excuse but in the Gong maybe she wasn’t in the best part of the track. They weren’t winning out wide,’’ he said.

“I was expecting a better performance on the day but analyzing it after you had to be closer in (to the fence) in the run.

“We backed off her, kept her a bit fresh and trialled her. She’s well weighted and I’d expect her to be very hard to beat.’’

Handy stayer Live And Free is also out to snap a run of outs on Thursday as it creeps closer to a year since his latest victory, over 1800m at Randwick in January.

Luvaluva runs sixth in The Gong at Kembla on November 23

Trainer John O’Shea is putting a line through the gelding’s last start 12th in the Group 2 Villiers Stakes (1600m) at his third run back.

“He was only beaten 3-1/2 lengths and his form third-up hasn’t been as good as it is second-up, he can get a bit dour,’’ O’Shea said.

“I’m looking forward to the race, he loves Randwick and 2000m.’’

Prior to the Villiers, Live And Free was touched out by Ranier in the last stride of the Group 3 Festival Stakes (1500m).

Luvaluva opened $4 favourite with TAB while Live And Free held the second line at $5.50.

All the fields, form and replays for Thursday's meeting at Royal Randwick