Price and Kent Jnr aiming for Cranbourne payday

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Training duo set to have trio of runners in The Meteorite while Globe bids for Cranbourne Cup glory

Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr are confident of taking bragging rights amongst the Cranbourne training community with a strong contingent for the track’s Cup meeting this Saturday, including three runners in the inaugural slot race The Meteorite (1200m).

Their trio includes Kristilli (Hellbent), having her first run for the stable and new owners in the Sheamus Mills Bloodstock slot, after Mills paid $925,000 for the former Annabel Neasham-trained mare at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale in May.

Price and Kent Jnr will also saddle key Meteorite chance Robrick (Invader) – who’ll be looking to give his Aquis sire some more spring success after the Champions Sprint (Gr 1, 1200m) victory of his only stakes winner, Sunshine In Paris.

And the threesome is rounded out by Moby Dick (Toronado), who Kent Jnr has tipped for a forward showing despite an ostensibly moderate formline.

In a red letter week in which Price and Kent Jnr have also opened their 16-box Rosehill stable, the pair are also keen on their chances of lifting the Cranbourne Cup (Listed, 1600m) with their giant, lightly-raced six-year-old Globe (Charm Spirit), though there is a chance they might scratch if predicted high temperatures eventuate.

With three of the 14 runners in The Meteorite, the stable will at least fancy their chances of reaping some rewards from the new set weights and penalties event – the first of two new $1 million slot races for the Southside Racing club, along with Pakenham’s The Supernova (1400m) on Pakenham Cup day, December 21.

Robrick, who’ll race in mega owner Carl Holt’s slot, and Moby Dick, for Ladbrokes Racing Club, have had similar preparations.

The four-year-old geldings contested the Dual Choice Plate (1200m) on Geelong Cup day. Robrick produced a first-up third, finishing 0.5 lengths off winner Barber (Exceed And Excel), while Moby Dick was a 2.1-length fifth of the ten runners, third-up from a spell, having won a Flemington Benchmark 78 over 1100 metres on resumption in September.

Robrick and Moby Dick went to Flemington’s Always Welcome Stakes (Listed, 1200m) for their latest starts, with Robrick pushing home for a 0.2-length second, and Moby Dick running a 2.9–length seventh.

The race was taken out by another Cranbourne-trained galloper in Rey Magnerio (Magnus), the Robbie Griffths and Matt de Kock-trained five-year-old who’ll likely start favourite in The Meteorite.

“Robrick was super at Flemington – he’s in great form that horse,” Kent Jnr told ANZ Bloodstock News. 

“I’d say that was about a personal best run from him, along with running second [beaten 0.75 lengths] to Estriella in the Inglis Sprint at Flemington in the autumn.

“Whilst he’s possibly looking for 1400 metres now third-up, he’s got a fantastic 1200-metre record, so it’s just about trying to keep him fresh for the 1200 metres.”

A $220,000 purchase for managing owners Ontrack Thoroughbreds from Valiant Stud’s draft at Inglis Classic in 2022, Robrick has two wins to his name – both in Melbourne city class – from 11 starts, and appears to have bounced back after an unsuccessful three-start autumn mission in Sydney and Brisbane.

“Things didn’t go his way in those Sydney and Brisbane campaigns, but he’s come back in really good order,” Kent Jnr said.

“He was a great third from a long way back behind Barber at Geelong, and second-up he was fantastic at Flemington. Admittedly, he had the right run, but he just got beaten by Rey Magnerio, who again will be one of the leading contenders on Saturday.

“I just feel the timing’s right for Robrick – third-up and close to peak fitness; it’s just about keeping the ping in his legs.”

That said, Kent Jnr also warned punters not to overlook Moby Dick, a $200,000 buy for the stable from the Sullivan Bloodstock draft at Inglis Premier 2022.

He noted Moby Dick beat Meteorite rivals Baraqiel (Snitzel) and Nadal (Xtravagant) into third and fourth in his Flemington first-up win, one of three from eight starts for the son of Toronado (High Chaparral). Moby Dick was then fourth – beaten only 0.2 lengths – in a 1200-metre Benchmark 78 at Flemington, before his Dual Choice fifth and Always Welcome seventh.

“He then only just got beaten second-up at Flemington, and then was badly held up at Geelong,” Kent said. “Then back to Flemington, Damian [Lane] tried to weave a path to the outside from an inside gate, and it didn’t really work out.

“I know he’s won there, but I don’t think the Flemington straight really suits him. At Cranbourne, the pace will be on, and it’ll certainly be no surprise to see him measure up.

“Whilst those runs mean he’s lower in the ratings than a few others, on 79, so he’s not that well in from a handicapping point of view under the set weights and penalties conditions, he’s always shown us open class ability, and I think he’s got the turn of foot to be really competitive.”

Four-year-old mare Kristilli shapes as an interesting runner. A $200,000 Classic purchase for Neasham and Brian McGuire from the farm of her sire Hellbent (I Am Invincible) in Yarraman Park, she ran second on debut at Kensington in March, 2023.

First home that day was a second starter by another Yarraman sire in Kimochi (Brave Smash) – who’s now a three-time Group winner, including of Saturday’s Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) at Caulfield.

Kristilli then turned the tables in winning the Percy Sykes Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) while Kimochi was third, but she hasn’t won in seven starts since, mostly in Group company.

Her only placing in that time was a third in Randwick’s Light Fingers Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) in February, with subsequent finishes of ninth, sixth and ninth leading connections to put her up for sale, where Mills purchased her for clients.

“She’s a gorgeous mare, and I can see why she was able to win a Group 2 as a younger filly,” said Kent Jnr, who has liaised with Neasham and the mare’s former owner/syndicator, Lizzie Jelfs.

“Just talking to Annabel and Lizzie, they both gave similar opinions that she wasn’t beaten all that far in a lot of the better races, and they really didn’t get anything to go right particularly in recent runs.

“We’ve taken a blank canvas approach, as I’m sure any trainer would when getting a horse off another trainer. We know the ability’s there, it’s just about getting her to unearth it and fire on all cylinders.

“She’s been problem-free for us, arrived in good order, and we’ve just taken her slowly, utilised our beach stable to get her ready. She’s an older mare now, so it’s about getting her fit without putting a concussion through her body.”

Kent Jnr said Kristilli’s second placings in two 800-metre Cranbourne jump-outs recently had been encouraging.

“We really expect her to go to The Meteorite and run well,” he said. “But it’s a competitive race and she’s going to be up against horses who are race fit, and that’s the one thing she’s lacking; she hasn’t raced for a while, so whatever she produces I’d expect her to improve on.

“It’s no easy task putting her in that race first-up, but Sheamus Mills’s clients bought the mare and they also own a slot. When you own a slot you’re running for the total kitty, so it made sense, and the timing was good for her.”

Price and Kent Jnr are also hoping Globe shines in the Cranbourne Cup after a highly promising but heavily restricted career so far for the six-year-old, who’s had only eight starts.

Initially sold by Cambria Park out of Karaka Book 2 in 2020 for just NZ$22,000, Globe was transferred to Price and Kent Jnr in 2022 before he’d raced. The hulking gelding, standing in excess of 17 hands, didn’t debut until a March four-year-old, but won his first four races as a short–priced favourite – two at Pakenham by a combined six lengths, and then two at Sandown by four lengths apiece.

After a spell he rose to black type and came last as favourite in Moonee Valley’s Feehan Stakes (Gr 2, 1600m), but was found to have had cardiac arrhythmia and was sent back to the paddock.

“He came back, ran fourth at Caulfield [in the Victoria Handicap], then had a fight with the water walker and came off second best, so had to have another little break,” Kent Jnr said.

The front-running Globe resumed last month with a fourth in Caulfield’s Moonga Stakes (Gr 3, 1400m) before a last-start 2.3-length second in Flemington’s Chester Manifold Stakes (Listed, 1600m) on VRC Oaks day.

“With those two runs under his belt, the horse is going really well and should be near his peak, and the Cranbourne Cup is certainly a nice race for him,” Kent Jnr said. “But if it’s 35 degrees as predicted, we could wait a week for the Eclipse Stakes at Caulfield.”

Price has won the Cup twice before teaming with Kent Jnr, through Octabello (Pierro) in 2018 and Pakal (Lord Of England) in 2013, while Kent Jnr’s Cranbourne-based father Mick took the race in 2010 with Starmon (Monolith).

“It’d be a good race to win,” Kent Jnr said. “I grew up here at Cranbourne. Dad’s won it, and Mick Price has won it, but I haven’t been lucky enough to win it yet.

“This is a very progressive raceclub, headed by Neil Bainbridge, which is even better now it’s joined forces with Pakenham to form Southside Racing. They’ve got a million dollar race in The Meteorite, big music acts, and it’s going to get bigger and bigger.

“For sure if we could win a race or two, particularly the Cup or The Meteorite, there’d be bragging rights amongst the Cranbourne training fraternity.”