Catch A Wave’s trainer Andy Gath has already flagged plans to tackle the $40,000 Breeders Crown 4YO at Melton on November 18.

And now Captain Ravishing’s trainer Ahmed Taiba has declared the same race a “definite” target.

Many hoped they could meet again in Saturday night’s $50,000 4&5YO Classic at Melton, but it now seems only Catch A Wave will head that way.

“When I race him, I want him spot on,” Taiba said of Captain Ravishing. “He missed a week of work when we scratched him from the Victoria Cup and we’re building back up again, but this race might come around a bit too quickly given how strong it will be.

“Hass (Taiba, owner) feels the same as me. We want him as good as we can have him before we race him again and the three weeks until the Breeders Crown looks ideal. That’s a definite.”

Captain Ravishing has beaten Catch A Wave home in just one of their three meetings, the latest of them in the $2.1mil TAB Eureka at Menangle on September 2. Captain Ravishing ran third with Catch A Wave back in eighth spot.

The first time they met, Catch A Wave caused one of the upsets of the season when he sat outside and beat a wayward Captain Ravishing in the Chariots Of Fire at Menangle in February.

Two weeks later, Catch A Wave took a 2-0 lead when he won the Miracle Mile from the front, while Captain Ravishing got a mile back and ran seventh.

Injuries and setbacks mean Captain Ravishing has raced only once since that Miracle Mile on March 4 and that was his third in the TAB Eureka.

He’s since been ruled-out of the Inter Dominion, scratched from the Victoria Cup and had NZ Cup plans shelved.

But Taiba said Captain Ravishing’s Breeders Crown performance would decide if he headed interstate to chase Group 1 riches.

“Hass is keen on taking him to Perth,” Taiba said. “There are two races over there and they look suitable.

“But he will need to go really well in the Crown on the 18th (of November) to head over a few days later to Perth. It’ll be an ideal test against a horse like Catch A Wave to see where he is at.”

The two Perth targets are the $125,000 Group 2 4YO Classic (2130m) on December 1 and the $200,000 Group 1 Golden Nugget (2536m). Both races at Gloucester Park.

“There’s a lot of options over the next few months and you can’t run in everything, but Perth is a chance to run for good money against his own age,” Taiba said.

“Then we’d look to races like the Ballarat and Hunter Cups before the Miracle Mile.”

News of Captain Ravishing’s possible raid will excite WA harness officials and fans, who are already excited about classy NSW pacer My Ultimate Ronnie – who ran sixth and only 3.5m behind Captain Ravishing in the Eureka - making the trip across.

As much as Captain Ravishing still has plenty to prove, there is no doubting his talent and the attention he brings the sport.

We need him back and firing as a key player in our major races.

The opinions expressed in The Forum are those of the author and may not be attributed to or represent policies of Harness Racing Victoria, which is the state authority and owner of thetrots.com.au.