PIKE WELL PLEASED WITH NOT AN OPTION'S PROGRESS

By Graham Potter | Tuesday, July 13, 2021

New Zealand trainer Tony Pike has enjoyed plenty of success at the Queensland Winter Carnival over the years … and the stable’s campaigns in the Sunshine State have not necessarily been all about winners, but also about gathering in the benefits of having horse’s winter in the more favourable Sunshine State climate.

One horse that Pike is hoping will take just such a benefit is the three-year-old colt, Not And Option.

The son of Not A Single Doubt finished third behind the impressive runaway winner Our Playboy and the more than useful Dzsenifer in the Group 3 Winx Guineas at the Sunshine Coast on Sunday … a result which arguably already means that Not And Option’s form is moving in the right direction.

“The run was super,” Pike told Racing.com. “He ended up getting shuffled back to near last, a mile off the speed and the winner saved a lot of ground up the fence. He just got wider and wider and wider from 600m and closed off really well.

“He’s had a lot of unfortunate hiccups through the last 18 months which aren’t his fault, but he seems to have come out the other end of it and two of his three runs were very good,” said Pike

Pike confirmed that Not An Option would now travel to Sydney where he would spell for a number of weeks before Pike turns his attention to a Spring campaign for the horse in Melbourne.