Forgotten Three-Year-Old Power Trip
Power Trip (Hard Spun) is among elite company as one of only four horses to have beaten the Coolmore Stud Stakes (registered as Ascot Vale Stakes) (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Flying Artie (Artie Schiller). The others are dual Group One winner Extreme Choice (Not A Single Doubt), the outstanding Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m) third Yankee Rose (All American) and, of course, the now retired Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Capitalist (Written Tycoon).
And last season’s two-year-old crop, as underpinned by the depth of form from the Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) and the Golden Slipper, looks particularly potent when you add to the names above – Astern (Medaglia D’Oro), Star Turn (Star Witness), Sweet Sherry (Bel Esprit), Defcon (Choisir) and Hey Doc (Duporth) who were stakes winners through the spring to emerge from one or both of those Group One two-year-old races.
The missing in action names from those highly competitive in last season’s top two juvenile races are Power Trip along with Honesty Prevails (Redoute’s Choice) who is expected to barrier trial on Tuesday after knee soreness curtailed her spring campaign and Telperion (Street Cry) who’s been sidelined post surgery.
Trainer John McArdle is hopeful that Power Trip’s absence may prove to be a blessing in disguise.
“We’ve given him plenty of time and he’s come back a bigger, stronger horse now. He’s tall unlike his brother (Beau Rada). He’s always been tall but he was lean and now he’s bulked up a bit,” McArdle said.
Power Trip may be physically dissimilar to his seven times winning brother – and has considerably more class – but he does have a similar racing style with strong closing speed; notwithstanding that he raced on the pace when he won down the Flemington straight on debut.
“I see him as a very effective run-on sprinter,” McArdle said, “but Jamie Mott, who does a lot of work with the horse, thinks he’s capable of stretching out over a bit more ground.”
Power Trip ran a sound closing fourth, behind Extreme Choice and Flying Artie, in last year’s Blue Diamond Stakes before failing in the VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m). “He’d just had enough by then,” McArdle said.
A spell ensued and he resumed on the second last day of last season and was again closing late when fourth behind quality mares Viddora (I Am Invincible) and Ocean Embers (Beneteau) in the Lightning Stakes (Listed, 1050m) at Morphettville.
“He was a bit crook after the Adelaide run and he’s also had a spur removed from a fetlock so that’s why we’ve given him plenty of time. He came back into work about four weeks ago and everything seems to be going really well. We will start to step up his work now and I’d hope to have him racing at some stage next month. He’s certainly got the talent and it’s a case of hoping for the best now,” McArdle said.
CAULFIELD TODAY:
BEST BET (VALUE): Race 5 number two Folk Tales (Stravinsky). The Richard Laming-trained four-year-old has put two together since finishing a half length third to the promising Snitzon (Snitzel) on debut. He dominated from the front, last start, at Cranbourne and I envisage he’s every chance to do the same here. Laming’s winning at 25 per cent from his past 20 runners and I suspect he’s on the verge of a very good run.
BEST BET (REGARDLESS OF PRICE): Race 7 number five Plein Ciel (Mamool). This German import chases a fourth straight win. He’s up in grade but gets the associated weight relief. Loved his last win when he looked to be under pressure at the top of the straight but responded to win very easily.
On debut he ran second to Degas (Exceed And Excel) who then ran second in the German 2000 Guineas (Gr 2, 1600m).
BEST LONGSHOT: Race 7 number 11 Houdini The Great (Choisir). Now this is possibly very silly given that, by definition of the above, I’m condemning him to no better chance than second or third. However, I think he should be around a 12/1 chance and you’ll get triple those odds. His second-up run was very good; he should be nearing peak; gets a terrific weight drop and both his course and distance runs have been sound. Must have the track playing fairly as he will get a long way back.
CRAZY BET: All up place bet. Race 2 numbers one, two. Race 3 number five. Race 6 number eight.