The first time Lord Of The Sky and Damien Oliver combined they almost caused a Group One boilover when it took Chautauqua the length of the Randwick straight to win the TJ Smith.

On Saturday they reunite again in the Bletchingly Stakes at Caulfield.

Oliver rode Lord Of The Sky three times last year for two Group One seconds and a seventh in the Sir John Monash Stakes.

It is that race trainer Robbie Laing thinks may have led to Lord Of The Sky going amiss at his next start.

“He broke down in the Bletchingly last year and at his start before he slipped at the start,” Laing said.

“He might be like a footballer who’s about to do a hammy (hamstring). He might have felt a twinge in that race.”

Lord Of The Sky will be having his fourth start since incurring the injury.

After finishing last in two autumn Sydney runs, Lord Of The Sky was relegated to fourth from third in the Sir John Monash Stakes on July 16.

The run showed the rising six-year-old had regained form and a gallop on the synthetic track at Cranbourne on Tuesday has Laing confident.

“I wanted to keep him off the synthetic at all costs but there was no grass again this morning, so what do you do,” Laing said.

“It’s not a terrible track but for a horse like him the grass is better.

“But importantly he looks to have pulled-up all right so far.”

Laing fielded a phone call after the horse’s latest run on behalf of a European breeder suggesting Lord Of The Sky would be ideally placed in a series of races culminating in the Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp on Arc de Triomphe day and then standing at stud.

But Laing hasn’t heard anything since and remains hopeful a good showing on Saturday may rekindle interest.

Laing will also saddle Zanahary, a brother to Lord Of The Sky, in the 1000m two-year-old race on Saturday.

He said the colt was a lovely individual and a similar type to Lord Of The Sky with one difference.

“He doesn’t mind being grabbed hold of,” Laing said.

Article from JustHorseRacing.com.au