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By Ray Hickson

A Group 1 mission is next on John O’Shea’s agenda with star sprinter Lost And Running after an impressive return at Randwick but every move he makes in 2022 will be aimed at winning the TAB Everest.

Trainer John O'Shea (Pic: Bradley Photos)

Fresh from ending his spring with a dominant victory in The Hunter, the five-year-old picked up where he left off shouldering 61kg to a runaway Group 3 $160,000 Southern Cross Stakes (1200m) win.

O’Shea earmarked the $500,000 Canterbury Stakes (1300m) in three weeks as his immediate mission but is reluctant to stretch out too far in distance in the autumn ruling out a crack at the Doncaster Mile.

“If we get him out to a mile you’ve got to grind him down,’’ O’Shea said.

“Next time will tell us a bit if we want to give him a chance at 1500m at Rosehill. If you’re going to go out in trip Rosehill is the right track.

“We keep him sharp and we can come back and give the Everest a real good go.

“The next 12 months, if we can continue to keep him sound, he has got a really bright future.

“He’s got a tremendously good record and he has performed at the best levels now and to win a race of this calibre with 61 kilos is true testament to his ability.”

TAB reacted to the win by slashing Lost And Running’s Canterbury Stakes price to $2.50 all-in and he’s on the $11 line in the TAB Everest.

Of course Lost And Running finished fourth in the $15 million sprint classic last October.

Hugh Bowman was always in control of the outcome of the Southern Cross as Lost And Running landed in a trailing spot, once he asked for the sprint he put the race away quickly and illustrated he’s a class above that field.

“He’s a class horse who had the top weight because of his record,’’ Bowman said.

“He’s a genuine Group 1 horse in my opinion. We expected a good performance.

"I didn’t expect the pace to be quite as strong as it was early but it allowed him to get into a really good rhythm.”

Since the gelding returned to work after his win in The Hunter, O’Shea mapped out a plan that would take in the Canterbury Stakes, the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes (1500m) and the Group 1 All Aged Stakes (1400m) on April 16.

That program rules out a clash with reigning TAB Everest winner Nature Strip in the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) on Day 1 of The Championships.

Lost And Running wins the Southern Cross at Randwick

“It was important we had him further forward this time because he’s going to run in a Group 1 in three weeks and we really want to give him the chance to win a race of that calibre,'' O'Shea said.

“He’s probably a little fresh today but lucky they went a good gallop and Hugh was able to give him a lovely drop on them and he did the rest.

“We’ll turn up here in three weeks’ time and he’ll be a fit racehorse and ready to give a good account of himself.”

Masked Crusader, winner of the Southern Cross in 2021, is the only horse so far with a slot in the TAB Everest.

Check out the replays and results from Apollo Stakes day at Royal Randwick