
Sydney-bound stayers Warmonger and Lastotchka are set to kick off their autumn campaigns at Caulfield this Saturday, where the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained duo will face off in the Group 3 JRA Plate (1600m).
Both horses are on a path to the Group 1 Tancred Stakes (2400m) at Rosehill on March 29 and the Group 1 Sydney Cup (3200m) at Randwick in April. They both completed trials at Geelong last week as they prepare for their returns to the track.
Kent Jnr praised the decision to give Warmonger extra time in the paddock after the stayer’s eighth-place finish in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) in October, abandoning Melbourne Cup plans for the five-year-old.
“He will have a Sydney-focused campaign with targets on the Tancred Stakes and the Sydney Cup,” Kent Jnr explained. “He’s only had one run in Sydney, and that was in the Queensland Derby (which he won by 10-½ lengths), and he seems to go really well in that direction.”
“I feel we’ll have a good prep with him,” Kent Jnr continued. “It’s never easy coming out of winter three-year-old races and then being thrown into the deep end in the spring, especially against open company when you’re a lightly raced, immature four-year-old.”
“Now, five months later, he’s really grown and changed.”
Kent Jnr said Warmonger showed his progress in the 1200m Geelong trial, where he finished well. Despite having a good blow post-trial, the experience has set him up for Saturday’s race.
“The horse is in terrific order, and we’re excited about what the autumn may hold,” he said.
Former French galloper Lastotchka will be making her first start since finishing 13th in the 2023 Melbourne Cup, her only Australian appearance. She suffered a bout of colic while preparing for last year’s spring carnival, which eventually required surgery.
Lastotchka trialled over 1500m at Geelong last week, finishing third.
“She’ll kick off over a mile, and we’ll look to quickly step her up in distance as we work towards the Sydney Cup,” Kent Jnr said. “It’s obvious for her to target that race. She loves getting her toe in the ground, although I don’t think she needs it. She’s a real stayer.”