Cranbourne jump-outs hint at autumn form for Price-Kent Jnr

Cover image courtesy of Bronwen Healy

The Cranbourne training track played host to a full morning of jump-outs on Tuesday, and it was a particularly good spread for co-trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr, the stable presenting a number of notable horses.

Most interesting was the G1 Blue Diamond S.-prospect Jacquinot, who galloped in the second event of the morning. The 2-year-old colt was ridden by Damian Lane over the 800-metre sprint, and he clattered right away from the field by an easing 4l in a time of 47.39s.

As it sits, Jacquinot is favourite for the Blue Diamond on February 26 ahead of Daumier (Epaulette), but he’ll run in the G3 Blue Diamond Prelude (Colts and Geldings) in less than a fortnight. His only appearance in silks was on Boxing Day when he was a dominant winner of a 1200-metre handicap at Caulfield.

On that day, he drew away from the field to win by 2.75l and he was put out for two weeks thereafter. His equally confident jump-out result on Tuesday morning therefore gave his trainers plenty of cheer.

“It was everything we wanted to see,” said Kent Jnr, speaking to TDN AusNZ. “The luxury of winning your first race with these 2-year-olds is that you have a bit of time, so he was able to have a couple of weeks out of the stable. Mick and I have kept him fresh and that (Tuesday’s trial) was probably his main piece of work leading into the Prelude.”

Jacquinot led home Artimus Prime (Flying Artie) and Superset (Super One) and, even though the winning margin was significant, Lane said to the trainers that he felt the colt was still a bit undercooked.

“Damian said afterwards that he was still very green and raw,” Kent Jnr said. “Jacquinot is quite a leggy horse, but he let down very nicely on what was a beautiful trial track. It’s a spacious track with a long straight and it was beautiful ground this morning so it was good for all our horses.”

Diamond-bound

Kent Jnr said the trajectory with Jacquinot wasn’t necessarily planned to go as it has gone. The two-week break was something they could afford after the colt’s winning debut.

“Mick has always said that if we can, give them a run before Christmas because it just helps to season them a bit,” the trainer said. “And then if we’ve got time for a breather, it’s fantastic. It refuels them and allows them to put their heads down for a bit of grass.”

Kent Jnr said the two weeks in the paddock was important for a colt that was built as this horse is. Jacquinot isn’t a nuggety, compact type; he’s leggy over a bit of ground.

“He’s put some weight on and a bit of condition on, and now we can time our run nicely into the Blue Diamond,” Kent Jnr said. “There’s no real cookie-cutter formula we use every year because they’re all different.”

Lane is booked to ride Jacquinot in the Prelude on February 12 and, while the pair will be heavily fancied, Kent Jnr said he isn’t paying too much attention to the market.

“We don’t watch that very closely,” he said. “It was interesting watching the Preview races last week, but we’re just training our colt and Damian, though he’s had a lot of nice 2-year-olds, is pretty keen to ride him, which tends to give us a bit more confidence.

“As he trains on the right way, we’ll keep going, and I think he will because he’s really coming to. He’s got a lot of life about him which is really good to see for a young horse.”

Jacquinot was bred by Coolmore and he’s a son of the Pierro mare Ponterro. He was passed in at $90,000 (with a reserve of $120,000) at the 2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

This is the family of second dam Pontiana (Redoute’s Choice), who got Group 1 winner Inference (So You Think {NZ}) and dual Group 2 winner Dragon Leap (Pierro), while third dam Liberty Rose (Royal Academy {USA}) was the stakes-winning dam of the well-performed Grand Jardin (Redoute’s Choice).

Profiteer targets the Lightning

Later in the morning, the stable sent out on-song Profiteer (Capitalist) for an 800-metre jump-out. The 3-year-old colt also galloped away, knocking over the distance in 47.39s, an identical time to Jacquinot and by a near-identical margin.

Profiteer, who was last seen on Cup Day when winning The Schweppervescence Plate, is bound for the G1 Lightning S. and, possibly, the G1 Newmarket H.

“At the moment, we’re retraining his brain and he’s just getting better and better,” Kent Jnr said. “Having Jamie Kah ride him each time is fantastic because it gives him that continuity, and she kept reinforcing that idea of making the last furlong the best one.”

The trainer said the colt was very kind to Kah on Tuesday morning, which bodes well for a tilt at the big races in the autumn.

“It’s tough for these young colts,” Kent Jnr said. “One minute you’re winning the Inglis Millennium and you’re in the Todman and the Slipper, and then you’re back in the spring and you’re a young colt in the deep end of weight-for-age Group 1 races.

“Profiteer was doing it the tough way at the front of those races, and with an extra four or five months behind him he’s learning to conserve a bit of energy at the start of his races. We’re noticing that now he’s in a really good headspace.”

Profiteer’s Cup Day win proved a good form-race in hindsight, and he’s a colt that loves a straight track. In that respect, the Lightning will suit him and Kent Jnr said he’ll be ripe for it on February 19.

“We’re going to have a third trial with him next week and we’ll have him nice and forward for the Lightning first-up,” he said. “Hopefully Jamie rides him, and we’re yet to map out where we go after that.”

Thunderstruck coming through

Across the rest of the morning, the Price/Kent Jnr yard had both I’m Thunderstruck (NZ) (Shocking) run second in a jump-out and Extreme Warrior (Extreme Choice) win his event.

I’m Thunderstruck, for the OTI Racing syndicate, has won over $5 million in prizemoney to date with six wins from nine starts, including a pair of last-start victories in the G1 Toorak H. and rich Golden Eagle last October. The horse is a proper option in the autumn, and he’ll target The All-Star Mile ultimately with an option for the Doncaster.

“It’s been well-documented that we’re using the CF Orr as a traditional first-up run, but we haven’t at all got him gunned-up for that,” Kent Jnr said. “The thing with these horses is there’s not a long break between the spring and the autumn, and he had a really long prep.

“He was racing in the winter against 3-year-old horses and he had a two-week freshen up before he was into the Rupert Clarke, the Toorak and the Golden Eagle. He didn’t have an easy run in any of those so we were really keen to give him a good spell.”

As a result, Kent Jnr said the 4-year-old gelding would be vulnerable in the CF Orr S. on February 12, but it nevertheless will be a useful day-out for the horse.

“It’s a race we’re going to use for him as a lovely day out at his old track (Caulfield), but he’s certainly not going to be trimmed right up,” the trainer said. “We’ll use it to bring him on into the Futurity two weeks later, and then we’ve got three weeks into The All-Star Mile before hopefully looking at the Doncaster.”

Warrior is flying

When it came to Extreme Warrior, Kent Jnr said he was more than pleased with the 3-year-old colt’s progress.

“This horse is flying,” the trainer said. “It was his first jump-out this morning and he travelled very sweetly the first part of it, and then really grabbed the bridle behind a wall of horses approaching the 300-metre mark. Pat Moloney pulled him out and he showed a dazzling turn of foot, and he ran away with it comfortably.”

Kent Jnr said the colt recovered brilliantly, which was a good sign.

“He’s an exciting colt and we’re delighted with the way he’s going. He’ll have a second jump-out and at this stage he’s running on February 26.”

The stable has nominated Extreme Warrior for the G1 Oakleigh Plate, but the trainers aren’t convinced he’ll get a berth. However, the supporting act on that day will be the G3 Zeditave S.

“That will be a nice little kick-off for him,” Kent Jnr said.

Extreme Warrior was a yearling buy for Mick Price Racing and Dermot Farrington, the pair going in for the colt’s $160,000 price tag at the 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale from the draft of Glenlogan Park. The horse is from the same family as the Spendthrift Australia stallion Swear.