The thumbs up from Joe Bowditch has Mick Price confident he has I’m Thunderstruck in a position that he can be a winning chance in Saturday’s Futurity Stakes before peaking for the All-Star Mile.
The Cranbourne trainer called on Bowditch to partner the Golden Eagle winner in a 1200-metre track gallop last Saturday morning, in which he sat off a partner before sweeping past it late, and Price was buoyed by the Group 1-winning rider’s feedback.
“We said to Joe, ‘come down and ride one, we need a rider, we’ll put you on a good one’ and he came back after and said, ‘you told me you’d put me on a good one but I didn’t think it was going to be that good’,” Price, who trains with Michael Kent Jnr, said with a laugh.
“He’s a good judge Joe Bowditch. He said ‘he had a good blow, he recovered quickly and there’s improvement to come’.
“He’ll gallop Tuesday and he’ll run into the money in the Futurity. If he peaks a bit (late), so be it, but then he will be spot on.”
I’m Thunderstruck, who resumed with a fifth placing in the Group 1 C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m) on February 12, was one of 18 nominations for the $750,000 Futurity Stakes (1400m).
Four-time Group 1 winner Tofane and Mo’unga are his likely main dangers, while Coastwatch, Extreme Flight, Lightsaber, Mr Mozart and Ranch Hand add a three-year-old element to the entries.
The Futurity Stakes will be I’m Thunderstruck’s final start before the $5 million All-Star Mile (1600m) on March 19, for which the son of Shocking the TAB’s $5 second favourite behind Zaaki ($4).
The Oakleigh Plate (1100m) was the other Group 1 race for which entries closed on Monday with 23 declaring an interest in starting in the $750,000 sprint.
Marabi has been short-priced favourite since her win in the Group 2 Australia Stakes and she has Group 1 winners Zoutori, Jonker and Wild Ruler among her potential rivals.