Chris Waller’s powerhouse stable might dominate early betting for the Caulfield Guineas, but Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr aren’t conceding anything ahead of Saturday’s feature mile for three-year-olds.
Waller will saddle up top market choices Autumn Boy ($3.50) and Wodeton ($4), while Price and Kent Jnr will look to cause an upset with their pair of emerging talents, Space Rider ($34) and Planet Red ($18).
Price, who engineered one of the race’s biggest boilovers when Mighty Boss won at $101 in 2017, said both of his runners are thriving ahead of the $3 million contest.
“I have no complaints about their training, but you have to come here on the day and have a bit of luck,” Price said. “You can only have them right for the day, and I think both of mine are right. They’ve both had preps for the mile.”
“Mighty Boss came here and was $101, so it can be that type of race.”
Space Rider’s only blemish this campaign came at Moonee Valley two runs back when seventh, before bouncing back to finish fourth in the Caulfield Guineas Prelude (1400m). Planet Red was third in that same race, having run fourth behind Rosberg earlier in the month.
“If you give Planet Red some sort of each-way chance, then you give Space Rider some sort of each-way chance,” Price said. “They worked beautifully together on Saturday. Planet Red looks beautiful — he’s the uncomplicated gelding — while Space Rider, being a colt, can get a bit distracted, but he’s flying.”
Planet Red, by Japanese star Admire Mars, looks ideally bred for a strong mile and Price said patience has been the key.
“When I had him in work earlier, I thought he had an immature frame, so I resisted pushing him up to a mile,” he said. “The last two weeks have been perfect for him and he’s blooming. Job done with both of them — now it’s up to them.”
Price said everything in racing comes down to timing, and after seeing Charm Stone perform below expectations at the Manikato Stakes, he’s confident he’s nailed the timing with his Guineas pair.
“You have to have your horse spot on for the day,” he said. “It comes down to timing, and I’m very happy with the timing of these two.”
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