Matthew Brown and the connections of Prix De Turn thought enough of their three-year-old to shoot for the stars right from the start.
Following a closing debut second in maiden grade at Sandown, Prix De Turn headed straight to the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas and did not disappoint with Anamoe, Captivant, Artorius, Lightsaber, Forgot You and Hitotsu finishing in front of him.
After finishing eighth in the Group 3 Carbine Club Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on the opening day of Melbourne Cup week, Prix De Turn was sent for a break and is set to reappear on Saturday in the Group 2 Autumn Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield.
While a win in a lesser race would be a nice confidence booster for the three-year-old, Brown said he was more than happy with how Prix De Turn performed at his first campaign
“We gave him a task and he stood up to it,” Brown told RSN.
“He’d had enough by the Carbine Club. Unfortunately, hindsight is a beautiful thing and he’s done well following his break and we’re pretty excited to see him step out on Saturday.”
Prix De Turn has had a couple of jump-outs at Cranbourne in readiness for his return to the track.
Brown said he had been worried about how long it was taking Prix De Turn to come up this campaign, but the colt showed he had turned the corner with his most recent jump-out on February 1.
“He’s surprised me over the past couple of weeks and hence why we’ve changed our plans and we’re pretty excited to head to Saturday,” Brown said.
“He’s got the talent there. We’ll have another throw at the stumps and see where we stand and hopefully all roads will lead to the Australian Guineas.”
Brown said Coastwatch was the one to beat but is confident Prix De Turn will run well.
“I’ll be disappointed if he doesn’t run in the first three or four,” he said.