Written by Georgie Dennis
The Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained Cambourne (Redoute’s Choice) made his G1 Caulfield Guineas claims with an impressive win in the Bendigo Skin Clinic Back Racing Class 1 H. over 1400 metres on Wednesday.
Coming off a 2.8l debut win at Donald, the 3-year-old colt settled just behind the speed under Michael Dee and accelerated brilliantly upon straightening to score by 1.25l ahead of the Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained Chica Fuerte (Hinchinbrook).
Early Morning Rise (NZ) (Fastnet Rock) from the Danny O’Brien stable was a further 2.5l away in third.
“You can see what I mean when I think the horse will be a beautiful 1600 metre horse, he had to come off heels and produce a bit of a sprint,” Price said.
"I think Chica Fuerte goes well, she’s a nice filly so I think he beat the right horse in the race and I think he’s a black-type horse going somewhere.
“I think the more racing he does, the better he will be, so we’re just in two minds of how to get him into the Caulfield Guineas from today.
"We’re just in two minds of how to get him into the Caulfield Guineas from today." - Mick Price
“It’s a metro meeting so we’ll have to put our thinking cap on and have a look at him over the next few days and make a choice.”
Price said Cambourne could head to the G2 Caulfield Guineas Prelude to earn a spot in the Group 1 feature, but with that race coming up in just a week and a half, he is worried that might be too quick of a turnaround.
“It’s a bit of a squeezy little program for him and I’m not sure if it’s too much racing for him in his first prep, to bounce into Saturday grade in a week and a half in the Caulfield Guineas Prelude which is going to be a harder, tougher race,” the trainer said.
“I’m just a bit jammed up with what I can do with the horse because he’s got the metropolitan win, so do you take a punt and see if you can go straight into the Caulfield Guineas on that? I’m not sure.”
Cambourne as a yearling
A $300,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale purchase by Price from the draft of Luskin Park, Cambourne is one of six to race, all of whom are winners, out of Listed scorer Dyna Slam (USA) (Grand Slam {USA}). Further back, this is the family of G1 Del Mar Oaks winner Sharla Rae (USA) (Afleet Alex {USA}).
Earlier in the card, Tony Noonan may have unearthed his contender for the Caulfield Guineas after Hickok (Shooting To Win) flashed home to take out the Bet365 Top Tote Plus Mdn Plate.
Having his third career start and first of the spring, the son of Shooting To Win settled at the back of the field and was the second-widest around the bend, but got going with 200 metres to go and chased down front runner Fixated (Hinchinbrook) to win by 0.1l.
"I was worried, he got back further in the field than what we had planned," Tony Noonan said.
"I think he's a mile-plus horse in the making so we went there today, even though we wanted to win, we had a plan as far as what we wanted from him.
"Once he got out, got a bit of room and balanced I was hoping that line wasn't going to come up too quick because I knew he would run on strongly."
"I was hoping that line wasn't going to come up too quick because I knew he would run on strongly." - Tony Noonan
Hickok holds an entry for the $2 million Caulfield Guineas but Noonan said the race might come up too soon.
"He's got to keep winning to warrant going that way (towards the Caulfield Guineas) but we'll see how he comes home, I think there's good improvement to come," Noonan said.
Purchased by Noonan for NZ$160,000 at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale from the draft of Woburn Farm, Hickok is one of two winners from two to race out of Monira (More Than Ready {USA}).
Monira herself is a half-sister to G1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders S. winner Charmont (High Chaparral {Ire}) and their grandam is champion mare Champagne (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}).
Further back, this is also the family of multiple Group 1 winner Bonneval (NZ) (Makfi {GB}).
Hickok as a yearling
