Joe Pride’s decision to steal a nap on a flight from Melbourne to Sydney on Wednesday had an unwanted aside.

He woke to find the plane descending towards a foreign airport.

On his way home after Melbourne Cup day at Flemington, Pride quickly realised the plane was landing early. And not in Sydney.

“As we’re coming in I’m thinking, this isn’t Sydney. Where the hell are we?” Pride said.

“I started to panic, I was thinking `did I get on the wrong plane here or something’?”

Turned out Pride’s flight made a safety stop at Canberra due to storms and he eventually made it to Warwick Farm, albeit behind schedule.

There shouldn’t be any detours for Pride’s only runner at Randwick on Saturday, Ball Of Muscle, who resumes in the Ranvet Sprint.

A winner of four of his six starts, Ball Of Muscle is a half-brother to stablemate Terravista who runs in the Group One Darley Classic at Flemington on the same day.

Terravista won at the corresponding Sydney meeting 12 months ago but that is where the programming similarities end.

“I’m totally convinced early on that this horse is an absolute speed machine,” Pride said.

“I don’t think he’ll run a yard beyond 1200 metres.

“I don’t know if you saw his barrier trial the other day but he actually forced the gates open and he jumped a length in front of anything before they were out of the gates. He’s really just lightning.”

Pride nursed Terravista through the grades before raising the bar to Group One level this spring.

He wouldn’t be surprised if Ball Of Muscle manages a similar feat in 12 months.

“Big chance. I’d love to think we could make it that far,” he said.

Small fields again permeate Sydney’s Saturday meeting with five races comprised of eight runners or less.

The program was moved to the course proper on Tuesday when officials decided the troubled Kensington track wasn’t up to scratch after two horses galloped on it in the morning.

It is hoped the inside circuit will be ready for the next scheduled Saturday meeting in two weeks.

The Australian Turf Club said the extra time should help the grass knit.