Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr would prefer to see the dual-nominated Boniface compete in Sydney this Saturday, provided the lightly raced galloper can gain entry into their preferred target race.
The former French-trained galloper carries a domestic rating of 81, which places him 16th in the order of entry for the Premier’s Cup Prelude (1800m) at Randwick, where the field is capped at 13 runners.
Should the Northern Hemisphere four-year-old manage to secure a start, Michael Kent Jnr is confident the horse is prepared to showcase his best performance, especially if he can race on top of the ground.
“He’s more likely going to be racing in Sydney in the Premier’s Cup Prelude and then hopefully onto the Premier’s Cup,” Kent Jnr commented.
“I hope he gets a run but you never quite know with a low rating, and we always just hedge our bets.
“It’s a free nomination in Melbourne, you can easily travel down here if you have to. But if we could get a run in Sydney, that would be the go.
“I was up there during the week, it’s fine and sunny, and it’s fine and sunny all week, which will be very different to last start where he was on a heavy 25 at Randwick so he won’t know himself.”
Despite spending close to a year off the track before his local debut at Sandown Hillside in May, Kent Jnr mentioned that the horse has adjusted swiftly, achieving two second-place finishes in Benchmark 88 races leading into Saturday’s potential outing.
“He’s ready to win,” Kent Jnr asserted.
“I would say he has hit the ground running much faster than a lot of imports, he’s taken to life in Australia quite well.
“Importantly he’s got to turn a foot for a horse that wants to get over 2,000 metres. It was a very good run at Sandown, and then he’s run two excellent seconds in Sydney running on both times.
“The only trick with him, he wants to be a little bit keen in running, so it’s just about switching him off and then letting him rip home.
“Tyler Schiller sticks, down the weights, and it’ll be a nice race for him.”
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