Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr will saddle a two-pronged attack in the Australian Guineas and enter the race with the belief they have the right horses for the contest.
Snow Patrol (NZ) (Contributer) and Otago (NZ) (Ocean park) have, importantly, drawn good barriers for the Group One contest over 1600m at Flemington on Saturday as Price bids for a fourth win in the Classic.
Price won in successive years with Light Fantastic (2008) and Heart Of Dreams (2009) before Grunt (2018) gave his third victory and believes his duo this year have strong claims.
“It’s a little bit even the race, and if there were five chances in the race, I’ve got two of them and they’ve both had good preps,” Price said.
Snow Patrol showed potential in a three-start preparation in the spring but was spelled before the Group One races got into full swing.
He returned to win first-up in the Gr.2 Autumn Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on February 10 where he just nosed out Southern Tycoon (Last Tycoon), an opponent again on Saturday.
Price said Snow Patrol had had the preparation to win the Guineas despite being second-up into the race.
He added the three-week gap between races was also ideal.
“I think it suits the Contributor breed to have their runs spaced a little bit,” Price said.
“It certainly suits him. He’s a big strong horse and that’s the feeling he gives me.
“That first-up win didn’t knock him around too much, but we were able to give him a quiet week then build him up for the mile.”
Otago chased home Riff Rocket (American Pharoah), King Colorado (Kingman) and Verdad (Justify) in the Gr.3 C S Hayes Stakes (1400m) at Flemington on February 17 and Price concedes it will be a tough task to turn the tables on that brigade who are all set to line up again on Saturday.
“The problem with Otago and the form around him, the first, second and third horses that beat him home in the C S Hayes, all have good improvement in them,” Price said.
“I don’t know if he can improve enough to say that he can beat them, but he’s fit and he’s well, and he’s running, and it is a horse race.”
