Summer Passage to make domestic appearance before Melbourne

Tom Walter - Tuesday July 25

ATC Sires' Produce Stakes runner-up Summer Passage will trial on both sides of the Tasman before a Melbourne spring campaign.

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Summer Passage. Photo: Trish Dunell

Summer Passage, trained at Matamata in New Zealand by Lance O'Sullivan and Andrew Scott, won the Group I Sistema Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie in March before beating all bar Invader in the Group I ATC Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m) at Randwick during The Championships in April.

While Invader is on a path towards the Group I Golden Rose (1400m) in September, Summer Passage is set to campaign solely in Melbourne and will be readied with two barrier trials.

"We will be giving him a trial at Te Teko and then he'll go to Australia after that and have a trial there before he kicks off," O'Sullivan told the NZ Racing Desk.

The son of Snitzel is likely to resume in the Group II Danehill Stakes (1200m) down the Flemington straight course on September 16.

The Group I Coolmore Stud Stakes, run over the same track and distance on November 1, will be the main target for Summer Passage, which was sold at last year's Inglis Easter Yearling Sale for $800,000.

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