Tim O'Brien hasn't ruled out running Perspective in all three of the remaining features on the Trots Country Cups Championship calendar.
The in-form son of Art Major is second on the series leaderboard and could move to the top if he can upstage some of the big guns in this Sunday's The Weekly Advertiser Horsham Pacing Cup (2700m).
O'Brien's charge has accumulated 17 points from his seven country cup starts, five less than Kima Frenning's star Buster Brady, who will also race in this weekend's Group 2 event.
Simply starting in a cup earns a championship point, meaning even if Perspective misses a place at Horsham he’ll improve to 18 points. Victories in the season’s last two events – Mildura and Warragul – could still see O’Brien hoist the title.
The Trots Country Cups Championship carries a $25,000 bonus for the winner, with $15,000 given to the successful owner and $10,000 to the horse's trainer. Given O'Brien trains on a "half stakes" arrangement with owner Kevin Murray, it could be a nice pay day if the gelding can get the job done.
"I always go to Mildura every year, so he'll go there. But Warragul is a long way away," O'Brien said.
"The only way I'll go to Warragul is if he's half a chance in the series, which I really doubt we are.
"I'm rapt with what he's done this year, let alone winning anything else."
Perspective's only victory in the series came when he took out the Boort Pacing Cup with a barnstorming finish on March 17. Last Sunday he backed it up with a second placing in the Ouyen Pacing Cup behind Brallos Pass.
O'Brien said he'd recently changed the six-year-old's work, a move that appears to be paying dividends.
"I used to work him pretty hard. I've done all that and he's gone through his classes. I've sort of backed off his work, just raced him once a week and not done a lot at home," the Ararat trainer said.
"It seems to have helped him. It must be because as he's getting older he's getting sick of the hard work.
"He seems to be thriving on what I've been doing with him."
Perspective has drawn barrier four for Sunday's Horsham Pacing Cup, where he will be driven by champion reinsman Chris Alford.
Matthew Craven-trained-and-driven Cant Refuse – who is third on the overall leaderboard – will be there, while Jilliby Chevy (Margaret Lee/Jason Lee) and Flaming Flutter (Geoff Webster/Greg Sugars) form part of a quality field.
The Group 3 Pegasus Spur Horsham Trotters Cup (2700m) is the other feature on Sunday's card.
Tim O'Connor