Mick Price knows a good two-year-old when he sees one and the now Cranbourne-based horseman is talking up Charm Stone as potentially one of the best he has trained.
Price, who now trains in partnership with Michael Kent Jnr, has won Melbourne’s biggest juvenile race, the Blue Diamond Stakes, on two occasions and will chase a third with Charm Stone this year.
After a win and a third-place finish in the spring, Charm Stone makes her return in the fillies division of the Group 2 Blue Diamond Prelude (1100m) on Saturday ahead of the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Sandown two weeks later.
Price won the Blue Diamond with Samaready in 2012 before capturing the quinella in the 2016 edition with Extreme Choice and Flying Artie.
A daughter of I Am Invincible, Charm Stone started her career finishing third to Zulfiqar, a winner of the Group 3 Chairman’s Stakes at Sandown last Saturday, in October before taking out the Group 3 Ottawa Stakes (1000m) at Flemington on November 3.
Price gave Charm Stone a second look at Sandown on Tuesday morning and after the workout said the filly was one of the best two-year-olds he had trained.
“She’s a different horse to Flying Artie, Extreme Choice, Samaready,” Price said.
“Those two-year-olds were running two-year-olds. Samaready was a bit relaxed, but this filly is very mature looking.
“If you said she was a three-year-old, you wouldn’t argue, and for a Vinnie, she’s got a beautiful, relaxed brain on her.
“She’s going super. She’s got a good set of lungs, and I know (Mark) Zahra is confident in her ability.”
Price said having had those two runs in the spring had been beneficial for Charm Stone, adding if you want an autumn two-year-old it is preferential to have some racing prior to Christmas.
“It means your horse is sound, quick enough, their immune system is good enough. Everything is working,” Price said.
“She had two runs in the spring because she was a bit burly. She had a run where she ran third and then she came on and won the Group 3.
“She’s now a lovely robust filly, no shins (soreness), no knees (soreness), good throat, good brain.
“She’ll improve into the Blue Diamond and then she’ll be off to Sydney.”