Price ruler at Caulfield
Story By Jason Hickson
Saturday, 19 August 2006:  | | Mick Price - quinellaed today's Liston Stakes |
Price has been predicting a big race win for Red Dazzler and after sitting just off the lead looked to have the race in his sights.
But improving stablemate Pompeii Ruler ranged up in the straight and the pair settled down to fight out the finish, with Pompeii Ruler gaining the upper hand over the final stages.
Pompeii Ruler was having just his fifth start, after finishing runner-up on debut then winning his next three races.
Today was his acid test, tackling stakes grade for the first time but stamped himself as a spring star with a dominant first-up win.
“I put him in the race to get a measure of where he’s at and after the win we’ll have to re-adjust his plans,” Price said, now thinking bigger.
“He’ll stick to the weight-for-age races now through to the Caulfield Cup.”
That path is likely to encompass the Craiglee, Underwood and Turnbull Stakes before the Caulfield Cup.
Red Dazzler, a two time stakes winner and Group 1 placed, has finished runner-up in his first two starts this campaign now, after finishing runner-up to Minson in the Bletchingly Stakes first-up.
“I was really happy with his run but he’s an entire and just taking time to come into fitness.”
Our Smokin Joe, ran a top race fresh with a fast-finishing third, while the favourite for the race, Minson, was shooting for his seventh straight win but failed to settle early on and was the first horse beaten in the straight.
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