Trainer Lloyd Kennewell is already eyeing off a significant Group 1 sprint for three-year-olds in Melbourne following the debut success of Mbube.
The two-year-old son of Rubick was the subject of heavy betting support for the Sportsbet Fast Form Handicap (1000m) at Sandown on Saturday. Kennewell confirmed the colt would be sent to the spelling paddock on Monday to commence preparations for the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) to be run at Flemington on Victoria Derby Day.
Backed from odds of $12 earlier in the week with punters, Mbube ($3.50) delivered a strong performance under jockey Billy Egan, winning by 1-½ lengths. The $2.90 favourite Stars Of Dom finished second, with Aston ($6.50) a further short-half-head back in third.
“He will be in the paddock at Fulmen Park on Monday morning getting ready for hopefully a Coolmore prep,” Kennewell said.
“He’s a highly talented galloper, probably as good as I’ve got in the yard, and I’ve been waiting probably 12 months for this horse. Watching him canter around as a yearling, you sort of knew what you had, and it’s a big call, because they need to gallop, which he could. He changed ownership because he was sold through a breeze-up sale for my other clients, and then we had to spend a lot of money to buy him back, but I knew how good he was.”
Kennewell explained that he had visited Sandown to assess the track conditions firsthand, ensuring they were suitable for Mbube’s maiden start. He expressed pleasant surprise that the track was in better shape than the Heavy 9 rating from Friday morning, anticipating an upgrade before racing.
By the time Mbube was set to race, the track had been officially upgraded to a Soft 7.
“He wasn’t going to be running yesterday morning because of the track condition,” Kennewell stated. “We had a few people walk it and I came and I walked it myself, and I said the track should be upgraded before the first, and it was. We wouldn’t have been running on a (heavy) nine or ten, that’s for sure. He’s very good on top of the ground. He’s got a beautiful action, a very good turn of foot, a very good brain for a colt. I’m looking forward to the spring. This is a pretty serious horse.”
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