Trent Busuttin acknowledges that if securing a Group 1 victory was the primary objective with Blind Raise, the pragmatic choice would be to direct him to Sydney for the upcoming Spring Champion Stakes this Saturday.
However, he is also acutely aware that the specific opportunity presented this year is a rare occurrence.
Consequently, the Caulfield Guineas runner-up, whom he trains alongside Natalie Young, is slated to compete in this Saturday’s $6 million Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m).
The son of Ace High has yet to achieve a Group 1 success and would likely be a strong favourite in the $2 million Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Randwick. Instead, he will reignite his rivalry with Warwoven, the horse that conquered him in the Guineas, at Flemington.
“The sensible thing would have been to go up to Sydney for the $2 million race, but you very rarely get a genuine live chance in a Cox Plate,” Busuttin stated.
“I think they’ve got him at 10/1, he is a genuine chance in it, so you’ve got to have a go.”
Blind Raise and the Bjorn Baker-trained Warwoven, both set to carry 49.5kg in the Cox Plate with Jamie Melham booked to ride Blind Raise, are aiming to become the first three-year-olds since Shamus Award in 2013 to claim Australia’s premier weight-for-age contest.
Confirmed competitors include established stars Sir Delius, Aeliana, and Birdman. Ceolwulf is expected to back up following his second placing in the King Charles III Stakes, while a decision on whether the beaten Caulfield Cup favourite Cosmic Crusader will also race will be made on Tuesday.
Fillies Global Goal and Proxima Dea are leading the market for the Spring Champion Stakes, which on Monday morning had attracted 11 entries. These include Chris Waller-trained colts Stormy Marco, Diameter, Central Europe, and Wonka.
The Caulfield Guineas marked only the sixth start for Blind Raise and his first beyond 1400m. However, Busuttin observed the day after the race that the colt had sustained minimal ill-effects and has been pleased with his subsequent training efforts.
“It was obviously a hard race last week but he came home and he ate everything, licked the feed bin clean, trotted out free in the morning, we took him for a walk and he was squealing and carrying on then got in the roll box and carried on,” Busuttin explained.
“So it was pretty safe that he’d come through it good and then he galloped Saturday morning and galloped up very, very good.”
The lineup for this year’s unique Cox Plate, which is being held at Flemington due to Moonee Valley’s ongoing reconstruction, will be finalised on Tuesday evening during a barrier draw function in Melbourne.
For those keen to back a potential champion, consider the extensive racing odds available at Australian betting sites.