Bonny mare keeps Price ticking over for the spring
Sydney Morning Herald
Friday November 13, 2009
For even the leading trainers a galloper that keeps on surprising in big races can be as gratifying as a group 1 victory. Andrew Eddy reports. Several of Melbourne's leading trainers are licking their wounds after less-than-successful spring carnivals and, while Mick Price counts himself among that number, the Caulfield trainer at least enjoyed some satisfying moments.Heart Of Dreams' resounding group 1 Underwood Stakes win provided Price with his highlight, but the surprising group 1 weight-for-age placings in New Zealand and at Flemington from his mare Miss Maren were possibly his most gratifying achievements."To see her run so well to be placed in the Kelt Capital [Stakes] in New Zealand and then follow that up with a second placing in the Mackinnon [Stakes] was really pleasing," Price said. "Those efforts are going to stand out on her page as a broodmare in the future and that's what you try to achieve with mares like her. You try and make them broodmares for their owners and she looks pretty good on paper now."Price said he did not approach the spring carnival with too many expectations and was prepared to sit on the sidelines when races such as the Caulfield Guineas, Thousand Guineas, VRC Oaks, Victoria Derby and the Caulfield and Melbourne cups were run."We tried to get a few to those races but ultimately they did not make it. It wasn't for a lack of trying," he said. "Heart Of Dreams won his group 1 but could not produce in the Cox Plate. We never had huge expectations of the spring so when a horse like Miss Maren performs so well in those group 1 races, it's great."Price lost proven group 1 performer Pompeii Ruler early in the spring to a rolled fetlock and last spring's Thousand Guineas winner Gallica was also spelled early after suffering bone chips.On Saturday at Sandown, Price is looking to end the carnival on a high note and also add more black type for Miss Maren in the $350,000 group 2 Sandown Classic.Despite being by Stravinsky, which apart from dual oaks winner Serenade Rose, predominantly has sired sprinters, Price is not concerned at Miss Maren stepping up to the 2400-metre trip."She is not your typical Stravinsky by any means," he said. "She is out of a stout New Zealand family and she's thrown to that side of the family but also has a good turn of foot so I am looking forward to her getting to the mile-and-a-half as a five-year-old mare."Miss Maren's first attempt at 2400m came in the AJC Oaks in April last year when she battled away for sixth without threatening. A month later, she ran over the same trip in the Queensland Oaks and again finished sixth but that was on a heavy (10) track, which she disliked.She next stepped up to the distance 13 months ago in the group 2 Winning Edge Stakes at Caulfield and again she finished midfield, this time winding up fifth."I've got no problems with the trip but it's just that there hasn't been any great reason to get her there since," Price said. "We aimed her at races like the Easter Cup [2000m], which she won easily from Raffaello, and the Kelt [over 2040m] this spring."We were going to send her out after her Mackinnon run. But I looked at her and could not find a fault in the way she was going about things, and Craig [Newitt] galloped her on the steeple grass on Tuesday morning and he could find no reason not to run her in the race either. So here she is."Price is not fooled into thinking Saturday's task will be an easy one with the likes of proven stayers Master O'Reilly, Zipping, C'est La Guerre and Scenic Shot lining up in the Sandown Classic."But that's fair enough. We're running for a good prize and group 2 status and you've got to earn them."
© 2009 Sydney Morning Herald
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