The first two placegetters in the Festival Stakes will miss the Villiers but trainer Joe Pride believes the traditional lead-up can produce the winner of the summer showpiece.

[include file=”inpost_adrotator.php”]

Pride, the trainer of Terravista who was runner-up to White Sage in Saturday’s Listed Festival Stakes (1400m), was thrilled with the run-on performance of stablemate Destiny’s Kiss.

The gelding made ground from last of the 14 runners on the turn to finish seventh, just under five lengths from the winner.

“If there is a better Villiers trial, I didn’t see it,” Pride said.

“I’m very happy with that. He made up a lot on the leaders and he will be a definite threat in the Villiers.”

The Villiers Stakes (1600m) on December 14 at Randwick is the only Group Two race of the Sydney summer.

Like the John O’Shea-trained White Sage, Terravista will be rested over the next few weeks before tackling the major autumn races with Pride hoping he can go all the way to the $3 million Doncaster Mile.

Terravista’s spring campaign was aimed at raising his rating to ensure he could compete in the better races in the autumn.

He won three races before his second in the Festival to the unbeaten White Sage.

Destiny’s Kiss gained an overdue stakes win in the Winter Cup, his second victory in Pride’s care after doing his earlier racing in Melbourne where Robert Smerdon prepared him to win six races.

He is raced by Nick Moraitis who also owns veteran Maluckyday, an eye-catching fourth in Saturday’s ATC Cup (2000m) won by Travolta.

Runner-up to Americain in the 2010 Melbourne Cup when trained by the Hawkes partnership, Maluckyday was headed for retirement until Moraitis decided to give him another campaign with Pride.

The owner-trainer combination enjoyed success with Vision And Power, winner of the 2009 George Ryder-Doncaster Group One double, after Moraitis decided to give that horse a change of scenery after he too began his career with Smerdon in Melbourne.