Kyneton trainer Michael Jones is aiming for his first city win and is hopeful that Inglis Digital purchase Maximillius will bring him success in the Benchmark 84 (1000m) at Sandown-Hillside on Saturday.
Bought for $22,500, the former Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained gelding was initially being prepped to regain his ‘ticket’ to race after having issues at the barriers.
However, Jones noted that Maximillius has been showing promising signs in trackwork and trials, prompting him to give the gelding a run to recoup some of his purchase price.
Jones and his partner Ashleigh have four horses in training and can’t afford to buy top-notch yearlings or highly credentialed horses. They were surprised Maximillius went for such a low price.
“Mick Kent Jnr said when I spoke to him that he was worthwhile having a go with,” Jones said.
“We thought he would go for a lot more money than that. Sometimes you get it right, sometimes you get it wrong.
“We’ve only got four in work, and that fluctuates between two and six, and I work full-time as well.
“With my partner Ashleigh, we do it all ourselves. We both do the horses in the morning, and she does them in the afternoon, so there are some pretty long days.”
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