Tony Vasil has mapped out stable star Prince Harada’s path to the Group One Australian Guineas but a more immediate focus for the trainer is a $1 million target for stablemate The Bowler.
Vasil is aiming Prince Harada at the $500,000 Australian Guineas (1600m) third-up on March 1 at Flemington ahead of a Sydney campaign.
The Bowler, meanwhile, is being readied for Saturday’s $1 million Magic Millions Guineas (1400m) at the Gold Coast and is due to leave Melbourne by float on Monday night providing he makes the final field as Vasil expects.
Acceptances for the Guineas are taken on Monday and Vasil said the trip from Melbourne would be broken with a stopover in Sydney.
The Bowler had his lead-up to the Magic Millions at Moonee Valley last Saturday week but had his chances ruined when Jye McNeil’s saddle shifted near the 800m point of the 1200m race.
He finished fifth to the Peter Moody-trained Brotherly Secret and Vasil said the three-year-old had come through the race well.
“He’s taken no harm from the run. He has had heaps of tutoring going right-handed and he’s had no issues with that so I’ve got no doubt about him going right-handed,” Vasil said.
Vasil thought it was essential to have a left handed whip rider for The Bowler and has booked Craig Newitt.
Prince Harada, meanwhile, is scheduled to have a jump-out at Caulfield on Tuesday as his preparations for a return in the Group Three Manfred Stakes (1200m) on February 1 ramp up.
Vasil said Prince Harada was likely to have two jump-outs before the Manfred Stakes at Caulfield and then go to the Group Three C S Hayes Stakes (1400m) second-up at Flemington on February 15.
Two weeks later is the Australian Guineas (1600m), the colt’s first Group One aim of the campaign.
“That being his third run, he’ll still have plenty of juice in the tank to go to Sydney,” Vasil said.
Prince Harada was one of the boom three-year-olds heading into the spring but finished out of the placings in the Group One Golden Rose and Caulfield Guineas.