Winning Rupert two-year-old’s Magic Millions hopes to go on the line at Caulfield
Trainer Laurie hoping colt can join Guineas-bound stablemate Portland Sky in Queensland
Last-start Red Anchor Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) winner Portland Sky (Deep Field) will barrier trial at Doomben tomorrow in an audition for the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas (RL, 1400m) and Victorian trainer Matt Laurie hopes talented two-year-old Ranveer (Winning Rupert) can join his stablemate on a trip to Queensland.
Ranveer, whose race career was delayed after being diagnosed with a cough on the morning of the Magic Millions 2YO Clockwise Classic (1000m) at Ballarat on November 21, will be nominated for the Two-Year-Old Handicap (1200m) at Caulfield on Saturday and the colt’s performance will dictate his immediate future.
“He had a very light gallop (on Saturday) and he will gallop midweek and then we will head there to Caulfield,” Laurie told ANZ Bloodstock News yesterday.
“We really want to be winning to, A, give us the option to head up to the Gold Coast, but also, B, to make sure that we have got enough money in the bank to ensure that we could go to a Blue Diamond.
“If he won on Saturday and he didn’t come through it as well as I want, I am not going to take him through the process of taking him up there. I would back off and try and have him right for (the Blue Diamond).
“He has one run under his belt and he’s going to come on from that just because of the experience.”
Laurie was pleased with Ranveer’s second placing to the Mick Price and Mick Kent Jr-trained Profiteer (Capitalist) over 1100 metres at Flemington on December 12.
“I was pretty happy. Obviously Mick’s went really well and the race rated really well, so I wasn’t flat on the horse. He raced well, but he was just a little bit green and it looked like he was looking for a turn at one point. He will come on from that,” he said.
“We have always liked him. He’s a quality horse, where he gets to I don’t know, but he certainly runs up to his looks.
“Hopefully he can strike the right field on Saturday and he can do the job.”
Meanwhile, Portland Sky, the winner of a maiden at his first start at Ballarat in late August, was given a short break after his Group 3 success at his fourth run in his first racing campaign with Laurie identifying the $2 million three-year-old race as a suitable target for the colt.
“He is up in Queensland at the moment and he is trialling on Tuesday at Doomben. I probably got him up there a little bit early and it’s been raining ever since he arrived, so it has been a little tricky,” the trainer said.
“We will see how he trials on Tuesday, but he is going up to tackle the Guineas.”
Laurie acknowledged the impressive performance of Magic Millions Guineas favourite Isotope (Deep Field) and runner-up Away Game (Snitzel) in the Gold Edition Plate (Listed, 1200m) at Doomben on Saturday, but was not shying away from the option he has for Portland Sky.
“He is a quality horse, he is eligible for the race, so we thought we would have a go,” he said.
“He only had a few weeks in the paddock, but he appreciated that. He had a light jump–out before he went up there and (jockey) Benny Melham was happy with how he felt and all reports since he arrived are good.”
Incidentally, it was Laurie’s trip to Perth in February with the view of buying Portland Sky’s half-brother by Blackfriars (Danehill) which led to the Mornington trainer securing Ranveer for $200,000 from the Western Breeders Alliance.
“Ranveer was just a super type, really well built, and a very balanced horse who was a nice-moving and good-looking colt,” Laurie recalled.
“I went there to buy Portland Sky’s brother and was under bidder on him (to Simon Miller at $170,000) and Ranveer was the other one I liked, so it probably drove me to go a bit harder after missing out on the first one.”
Laurie, who has trained 11 winners from his past 50 runners, intends to be on the Gold Coast in January not just to oversee the campaign of Portland Sky and potentially Ranveer, but to also be active at the Magic Millions sale.
“I have had a good little run, a couple of stakes winners through the carnival, and we’ve got a few putting their hand up as well,” Laurie said of his stable’s current form.
“It’s all about winning, I don’t want to do it if they’re not doing well. I try not to hang onto them for too long if they’re not measuring up.
“As for the sales, I won’t go too hard unless I have got someone who is taking big whacks of horses, but if we can go up there and bring home four or five I’d be pretty happy.”