This Tuesday Victoria’s Sandown Racecourse will be host to a notable hit out for the current Caulfield Guineas 2013 co-favourite with Tony Vasil’s Prince Harada gearing up for their new season return.
Prince Harada is set to kick off their Caulfield Guineas campaign this Saturday. Photo: Race Horse Photos Australia.
An undefeated son of Haradasun, the smart colt debuted at Ballarat in May with a tidy two and a half length win.
They were also successful at their second start this time putting a full length on their closest rival when stepping up to city class over the 1200m at Moonee Valley in mid-June.
Their performance there saw Prince Harada shoot to the top of the futures markets for the $1 million Group 1 The BECK Caulfield Guineas (1600m) which is set to run at Caulfield Racecourse on Saturday October 12.
After the smashing win of Andrew Campbell’s Kiwi raider Cauthen in the Listed McKenzie Stakes (1200m) at the Valley on Saturday, Prince Harada now shares that top line of Caulfield Guineas betting with the duo paying $6 each.
With the Guineas countdown now on, Vasil will give his hopeful a testing gallop between races at Sandown on Tuesday before their three-year-old debut.
The Tuesday jumpout is one that would normally be held by the Melbourne Racing Club (MRC) at Caulfield on a Tuesday, but there’s a venue chance this week.
While Vasil believes Prince Harada is forward enough to run first-up without the trial, he would like to give the lightly-raced youngster a bit more practice in the barriers.
“He doesn’t even really need to have a trial, but both (jockey) Steve Arnold and I feel it would be advantageous to pop him out the gates again given that he missed the kick here (at Moonee Valley) at his last start and he was only fairly away at Ballarat,” Vasil told Racing Victoria over the weekend.
“Just the exercise of taking him out there. He doesn’t have to win a trial, he just has to go around.”
Their resuming run is then scheduled for this weekend in the $150,000 Group 3 H.D.F. McNeil Stakes (1200m) and Vasil is thrilled with their progress heading toward their maiden black type assignment.
“If anything he’s more focused, I think,” Vasil said.
“The two runs and the breather have done his mentality very good. His whole demeanour is good.”
To get behind Prince Harada and check out the full markets for the Caulfield Guineas 2013 head to bookmaker.com.au where you’ll find the country’s premier range of fixed win and futures horse racing odds.
