Hong Kong's top four-year-olds failed to measure up to winning last week's QE II Cup but trainer John Size is hoping the road not travelled will stand Glorious Days in good stead for tomorrow's BMW Champions Mile, and possibly beyond.
Whatever a four-year-old's capabilities, there is a long-standing tradition to take the better ones to the Derby - look at outstanding sprinters like Little Bridge and Cape Of Good Hope to name two who were tried in it, just because they could make the field, and failed miserably.
That wasn't the case with Glorious Days, who has been clearly one of the best of the four-year-old age group this term, yet he stepped around the regulation Derby preparation.
'As a result, he hasn't had the rigorous campaign that a horse like Fay Fay had, and which probably wasn't in his favour when he went up against the tougher field last week,' said Size. 'I kept Glorious Days away from the Derby trail, not because I had Fay Fay going in that direction but because I really didn't think he would be suited at 2,000m.'
Now Size is hoping Glorious Days is still fresh enough and on the way up for his debut in the biggest league.
'He's been beaten [in the Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup and Chairman's Trophy] but his strike rate, or the number of wins he strung together before that, suggests to me that he has more upside to him,' Size said. 'I think there is another level in him and he's one of the four-year-olds who can keep on going. He's had some racing and his age will come against him if he feels that, but I don't think it has been too tough.'