Track conditions will dictate where talented three-year-old Albarado (NZ) (Savabeel) heads this week.
The Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young-trained son of Savabeel holds nominations for Mornington on Thursday and for the Listed McKenzie Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on Saturday, with Busuttin leaning towards the weekday run if conditions suit.
“I’m just waiting to see how this track comes back at Mornington,” he said. “I’d prefer to run him at Mornington, it is a Heavy10, if it could get back to a Heavy8 then he runs at Mornington.
“He probably doesn’t need to be taking on the sharper colts at this stage of his prep.”
A debut winner as a juvenile at Ballarat in May, Alabarado then finished runner up to the unbeaten Cherry Tortoni (Night of Thunder) at Flemington in June. His next start will launch his three-year-old campaign with the Busuttin-Young stable holding Gr.1 Victoria Derby (2500m) aspirations for the promising colt.
“He is a big, strong impressive horse,” Busuttin said. “He obviously beat the Godolphin horse (Alcyone) and ran second to the boom horse of Paddy Payne’s (Cherry Tortoni).
“I think once he gets up over 2000m he will be a serious three-year-old.”
Albarado was a $140,000 purchase as yearling out of Rich Hill Stud’s 2019 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 1 draft.
Among Busuttin’s other upcoming runners is Tavistock five-year-old gelding Tavirun who will line up at Caulfield this weekend.
“I’m looking forward to seeing Tavirun over 2400m,” Busuttin said. “It wasn’t a great ride last start. He probably should have won.
“I think he is one for one at 2400m at Caulfield and I think he will be very hard to beat.”
