A 3am wakeup call while on holiday is not normally the ideal start to a day.
But for Mornington trainer Jerome Hunter he was willing to make the sacrifice to watch Wonder Boy in his debut win at Flemington and on Saturday the gelding steps out for the second time in the Group 3 Vain Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield.
Hunter was in the French city of Nice when Wonder Boy got his career off to the perfect start at Flemington in June, a win the trainer thought was achievable under Luke Currie.
“It was a nice early morning wake-up call watching him win,” Hunter said.
“We thought he would go well. His trials had been nice leading up to that and I knew he was an above average horse.
“I said to myself then, if he goes well, even if he doesn’t win but hits the line well, I want to give him a freshen up and try for the harder races.
“Our main goal, if he can get the distance, will be to set him on a Guineas path.”
First there is Saturday’s race to get over which Hunter concedes may be too short then Wonder Boy heads to the Group 3 McNeil Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on August 31.
Hunter said that race will give him a better idea of whether Wonder Boy could be the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas horse he hopes he can develop into.
If that is the path he wants to take, the Group 3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude (1400m) of September 21 would be the lead-up to the Guineas over 1600m on October 12.
However, if Hunter believes Wonder Boy will not run 1600m, he could be freshened for a tilt at the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington in November.
Hunter has liked what he has seen from Wonder Boy in his lead-up to Saturday’s return and was impressed with his last trial against the likes of Giga Kick and Coleman at Mornington.
“His last trial was really nice, so he’s ready to go to the races now,” Hunter said.
“The 1100 metres on Saturday, may be a little bit short because he’s a very relaxed horse that gets back and runs on, but if the speeds on, he’s a chance, but if it’s a sit and sprint, he might be found a few lengths.
“I have a good opinion of him, but there again we are talking about pretty much a maiden winner in the middle of winter, so he has to come out and do it.
“But Luke rode him in the trial the other days and said he’s pretty much spot on.”
