If Vision And Power wins the Queen Elizabeth Stakes he will be on the short list for Horse of the Year honours, something that makes trainer Joe Pride shake his head in wonder.Pride's admiration for Vision And Power as a tough, honest galloper goes back a long way and he was more than happy when the horse won the Listed Parramatta Cup in February.Group One wins in the George Ryder Stakes and Doncaster Mile were a long way from the trainer's thoughts a few weeks ago but Vision And Power has more

If Vision And Power wins the Queen Elizabeth Stakes he will be on the short list for Horse of the Year honours, something that makes trainer Joe Pride shake his head in wonder.

Pride's admiration for Vision And Power as a tough, honest galloper goes back a long way and he was more than happy when the horse won the Listed Parramatta Cup in February.

Group One wins in the George Ryder Stakes and Doncaster Mile were a long way from the trainer's thoughts a few weeks ago but Vision And Power has more than lived up to his stable name of Chief.

Pride has tried to account for Vision And Power's monumental step up this autumn but in the end he has decided just to accept it.

"I'm not doing anything different with him, I'm training him much the same as I have in the past," Pride says.

"In the past we have tried to get him up to 2400 metres but this time we have kept him fresher and to the shorter distances and here he is a dual Group One winner.

"I can't believe he could even be in the mix for Horse of the Year - it's just amazing.

"His stable name is Chief and he has certainly lived up to it."

Niconero is the leading contender ahead of his bid to win the QEII Cup in Hong Kong on Sunday with three Group One victories already this season, the same as Theseo.

Vision And Power is the second elect for the Queen Elizabeth with the five three-year-olds in the race dominating the market.

The Parramatta Cup (2000m) was originally going to be the highlight of Vision And Power's campaign as part of a strategy Pride has used successfully in the past.

"I select a few horses to race over the summer then give them a rest and bring them back for the winter," he said.

"It's something that has worked in the past with horses that are not quite up to the best and winter is a good time to win some races with them.

"That's what I thought with Vision And Power, that I would bring him up and knock off a few races while the better horses weren't there.

"I didn't think he was going to be one of the better horses but I'm glad he is."

Since he began his campaign in late December, Vision And Power has earned his owner Nick Moraitis more than $1.7 million and earned himself a rest.

"Win, lose or draw he will be having a well-deserved rest after the Queen Elizabeth," Pride said.

While there is still plenty of racing left for the six-year-old, Pride can see a future for him off the racetrack.

"He has the best temperament of any horse in the stable," he said.

"One day he will make a sensational sport horse either as an eventer or perhaps a showjumper.

"He is a natural athlete."