Written by Paul Vettise
Our Playboy (Sebring) opened his 3-year-old season with a dynamic performance to continue his winning form and co-trainer Mick Price has vowed to keep the colt to what he does best.
The chestnut resumed off a four-month break at Caulfield in the G3 Neds Vain S. and he powered home under the urgings of rider Ben Melham to blow his rivals away.
While Our Playboy was strong at the end of the 1100 metres, it wasn’t a performance that will convince Price to try and stretch the youngster out in distance.
“We’ll keep him to sprinting and he won’t get out to to much of a journey. We bought him as a sprinting Sebring and that’s what he’ll be,” he said.
Our Playboy was bought out of Widden Stud’s draft at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for $300,000 and is out of the unraced Shamardal (USA) mare Mischief Night.
It is an impressive short course pedigree as the dam is a half-sister to the G1 All Aged S. winner and multiple Group 2 winner and sire Pierata and the G3 Skyline S. winner Ashokan (More Than Ready {USA}).
They are out of the former quality race mare November Flight (Flying Spur), who was successful on seven occasions including the G3 Millie Fox S.
Brace of 2YO victories
Our Playboy was unplaced in his first two runs last season before he opened his account at Terang and then won again at Sandown before he was sent for a spell.
“I have to give credit to a kid called Ben Wade, who rides him and he’s a horse that can get trucking and over do it,” said Price, who trains with Michael Kent Jnr. “He’s done a good job with him and so has Ben Melham. It was a good effort all round.”
Our Playboy settled off the leading bunch before Melham drew him wide at the top of the straight and the colt let down stylishly to charge to the front and win comfortably by 1l.
Ranting (NZ) (Zoustar) had looked the winner when he took control soon after straightening, but he had no answer to the winner’s finish and the favourite Rulership (I Am Invincible) made the running and clung on to third from Branders Rule (Brazen Beau), who got home well.
Hydro Star (Headwater) was sent out the second elect off the back of a smart midweek win at Sandown, but tailed the field home. He drifted back from the outside gate and never got into the race.
