Jacquinot has stamped his credentials with an impressive debut win at Caulfield which has his co-trainer already eyeing off Melbourne’s richest two-year-old race.
The Mick Price and Michael Kent Jr-trained son of Rubick came from a rearwards position to claim the Frank O’Brien Handicap (1200m) on Sunday.
Price said Jacquinot would be given a short let-up before being aimed at the Group 3 Blue Diamond Prelude (1100m) at Caulfield on February 12 ahead of the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield two weeks later.
Ridden by Luke Currie, Jacquinot ($4.80) scored by 2-¾ lengths from Jamarra $(10) with Queen Latifa ($31) a further 1-¾ lengths away third.
Price said Jacquinot’s hopes looked forlorn at the halfway point and he was already contemplating applying blinkers to the colt’s race day gear.
But when Currie got Jacquinot to the extreme outside, the colt powered home to a stylish win.
“He’s done that on raw ability, that is not something that you can train into them,” Price said.
“Even if I didn’t train him, I’d be saying ‘Wow’ I thought that was the win of a horse with good ability.
“You trial them and work them and then race day tells all, but for a very green horse who looked like he was lost behind them, to get out wide and pick them up like he did and be strong through the line, I thought it was the win of a good horse.
“He’ll have a short break, the Blue Diamond’s not far away, so he’ll probably be out in the paddock during the day and boxed overnight, do a bit on the water walker.”
Currie has won two of the past three staging’s of the Blue Diamond and said Jacquinot was a similar type of horse to last year’s winner Artorius.
“Artorius took a bit longer to pick up then was really strong,” Currie said.
“But he’s shown a real turn of foot today which he probably didn’t in his jump outs where he raced on speed and then quickened away from them.