Tulloch Lodge colt Prost has appreciated a distance rise and put the writing on the wall for a Randwick Guineas campaign in the autumn with a determined win in the $1 million Callander-Presnell.
The three-year-old had been soundly beaten at two runs from a spell over sprint journeys but extended to 1600m for the first time at Randwick on Saturday, he rebounded to his best.
Co-trainer Adrian Bott said they were likely to pull up stumps on Prost’s campaign to focus on next year, with the Magic Millions a possibility, along with the Group 1 Randwick Guineas over Saturday’s course and distance.
“He could be that style of horse,” Bott said.
“Whether we go up to the Magic Millions or not, he’s a commercial prospect. He is a Group winner at two, he is by Snitzel, he is a three-quarter (relation) to the Slipper winner Shinzo so there’s a lot to like about him.
“It was good to see him do it today. I thought he ran it out strongly and it opens up a few more options for him going forward.”
A Canonbury Stakes (1100m) winner at two, Prost struggled to handle the Flemington straight when finishing down the track in the Poseiden Stakes (1100m) first-up before again finishing among the tailenders in the Roman Consul Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill last start.
But the stable never lost faith and were confident he was looking for the mile.
“It has been a bit stop-start this preparation,” Bott said.
“We went down the straight first-up, it was a bit short for him and he was a bit lost down there.
“We had to come back and a few things didn’t go his way second-up and we really needed to get him out in trip by that point.”
Prost was ridden by Adam Hyeronimus, who turned the tables on the Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou stable within the space of 35 minutes.
Ryan and Alexiou’s charge Amazing Eagle narrowly denied Hyeronimus aboard Manos in the Brian Crowley Stakes and the jockey then fired in an unsuccessful protest.
But he exacted revenge aboard Prost ($7.50) in the Callander-Presnell (1600m), defeating the Ryan and Alexiou-trained Just Party ($3.10) by a short half-head with the winner’s stablemate Anode ($2.50 betting fav) another 2-1/4 lengths away third.
“Beautiful colt with a great attitude, and that’s what won him the race today, the way he relaxed, Hyeronimus said of Prost.
“He’s always been working well this preparation, he just hasn’t probably quite shown the ability he has, and that’s probably due to the races and the distances he’s been running in.”