Written by Georgie Dennis
Extreme Choice has hit the ground running with his 2-year-olds at the trials, and on Tuesday at Caulfield Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr unveiled two colts who won jump-outs at Caulfield and cemented themselves as contenders for the Listed Debutant S. at the same track on Saturday week.
The Melbourne Racing Club staged two heats over 800 metres on the Caulfield course proper for juveniles targeting the Debutant, and both were won by Price and Kent Jnr-trained sons of the dual Group 1-winning Newgate sire.
Extreme Warrior was the first of the pair and he was slightly slow out of the gates and settled second-last but was very strong down the straight and ran home to win by 0.5l.
Contrasting his stablemate, the winner of the second heat, Red Rocketship, was very quick out of the barriers and led from point to post to win by 1.25l ahead of Own The Night (Astern).
Price was pleased with the performance of both of his colts but he believes Red Rocketship might have a slight edge on Extreme Warrior.
“Stables are putting their 2-year-olds through neat little 2-year-old preps and the ones that are ready are showing us that they can trial and trial well, and there’s a lot that are not getting to the trials or are trialling and heading to the paddock,” Price said.
"The ones that are ready are showing us that they can trial and trial well." - Mick Price
"These two have just put their hand up as natural runners, that’s today, Tuesday. Tomorrow, Wednesday might be a different story with these 2-year-olds because you can only read the information on a daily basis with them.
“I would say that Extreme Warrior was very workmanlike and found the line well, albeit in a faster trial.
“Red Rocketship I think would be in front of Extreme Warrior in my opinion but Red Rocketship’s problem is that he jumps as fast as his old man used to, but he needs something to follow so he hasn’t been able to follow anything because that’s just the way the trials have worked out.
“I think under race pressure, if he gets something to follow, it will take him in a lot further but he seems to have natural ability, he’s quick, he’s got a great action and great attitude and hopefully they have a good week and a half and they can line up in the Debutant.”
Price trained Extreme Choice to win the G1 Blue Diamond S. and the G1 Moir S. and he said he can see attributes of him in Red Rocketship.
“Red Rocketship is very similar to Extreme Choice I think, and Extreme Warrior is a bit more workmanlike.
“We’ve only got four or five (Extreme Choices), but these two colts have come through and each week they have shown they are able to be trained.
Extreme Choice | Standing at Newgate Farm
“We assess them every day but each week we find there’s a change in 2-year-olds in the stable because, for whatever reason, they don’t train on.
“So it’s the same with these two but all I can say is Red Rocketship reminds me of Extreme Choice more so.
“I think he’s going to be very fast but he’s waiting for his friends at the moment when he’s out there by himself.
“I think he’s going to be very fast but he’s waiting for his friends at the moment when he’s out there by himself." - Mick Price
“I don’t want to be leading up on him as such because it gives him an excuse to prick his ears and not go forward. His father was a dynamite sprinter and with Red Rocketship we’re not seeing exactly the same but he’s got a good turn of foot and he’s a natural 2-year-old.”
Red Rocketship was purchased by Suman Hedge Bloodstock and Mick Price Racing for $180,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale from the draft of Newgate Farm and is the first foal out of the stakes-performed Pink Perfection (Mossman).
Red Rocketship as a yearling
His third dam is the Listed Tasmanian Oaks winner Sounds Positive (NZ) (Sound Reason {Can}), while he is also related to G1 Queensland Oaks winner Round The World (NZ) (Sea Anchor {Ire}).
Pink Perfection was purchased by Yulong for $200,000 at the 2019 Magic Millions National Yearling Sale and has a yearling by Russian Revolution, but missed to Grunt last year.
Extreme Warrior was a $160,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast purchase for Mick Price Racing and Dermot Farrington from the draft of Glenlogan Park and is out of Heart Of Thrills (Show A Heart), making him a half-brother to Listed Atlantic Jewel S. winner Thrillster (Starspangledbanner) and the stakes-placed Free Thrills (Unencumbered).
Extreme Warrior as a yearling
Heart Of Thrills herself is a three-quarter sister to dual Group 3 winner Gotta Have Heart (Show A Heart) and Cross Your Heart (Show A Heart), the dam of Spendthrift resident Swear.
She was purchased by Steve Morley Bloodstock for $200,000 at the 2018 Inglis Broodmare and Weanling Sale and has a yearling filly by I Am Invincible but was not served last year.
Price also provided an update on his spring contingent after four of his talented 3-year-olds performed well in the Guineas Preludes on the weekend.
National Choice (Snitzel), Cambourne (Redoute’s Choice) and Captain Corelli (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) finished third, fourth, and fifth respectively in the G3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude and Price said the first two will head to the G1 Caulfield Guineas, but Captain Corelli is on the fence.
“Cambourne will go with Mark Zahra on and National Choice will go with Craig Newitt on, he’ll lead them up and see if he can pinch some prizemoney at the end of a mile.
Cambourne (green and yellow cap)
“We’re going to have a think about Captain Corelli. He is out of a Brisbane Cup winner and is going to be more suited to the Derby but if he trains on and we can keep some freshness in him, it’s very difficult to deny the owners an opportunity at a Caulfield Guineas run.
“But all three of them are good.”
Listed Atlantic Jewel S. winner Night Raid (Vancouver) finished fourth in the G2 Thousand Guineas Prelude and she is also likely to line-up in the G1 Thousand Guineas on Saturday week.
“She was a bit flat on the Sunday and Monday after having to lead and run very fast sectionals, but she’s a spring 3-year-old filly and we’ll keep her fresh so we’re pretty sure she’ll take her place.”
