Prince Obama will have his first run in more than seven months at Caulfield before an assault on next month’s Listed Wangoom Handicap at Warrnambool.
Trainer Jason Clifford has waited patiently for the tracks to soften for the sensitive-footed five-year-old who last spring emerged a genuine stakes grade performer before jarring up badly in the Group Two Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington.
The son of Clangalang resumes in Saturday’s Visvanathan Memorial Plate (1100m) at Caulfield and if he can get back to his spring form he will be hard to beat.
Last August Prince Obama’s rating soared 13 points to 89 when he nearly caused a boilover at $101 in the Group Two Lawrence Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield, fighting on tenaciously to finish third to Group One winners Whobegotyou and Lights Of Heaven.
At his next two starts he was denied clear running when ninth to King’s Rose in the Group Two Memsie Stakes (1400m) and didn’t handle the hard track at Flemington when ninth to Littorio in the Makybe Diva (1600m) on September 3.
“He is really a soft track-type of horse and it wasn’t worth bringing him in until we started to get those sorts of tracks again,” Clifford said.
He said six weeks ago Prince Obama fell victim to a virus which swept though his stable but the gelding had won two jumpouts before that and his trackwork since suggested he was back on track for this campaign.
“The virus held him up a bit but he’s a tough horse and his trackwork has been good,” Clifford said.
He said that while Saturday’s assignment was a launching pad for the Wangoom (1200m) on May 2 he expects Prince Obama to run well and improve again for the Warrnambool feature sprint.
On Saturday Prince Obama is among TAB Sportsbet’s top six chances at $11 while the Mick Price-trained Stratcombe is $3 favourite.
“If he runs in the first four on Saturday I will be absolutely rapt and it would make him very hard to beat going into the Wangoom, especially if it is wet,” Clifford said.
“He’s shown in the past that second-up and third-up are his best runs.”
Clifford said Prince Obama may even be better this campaign and he will wear a tongue tie at the races for the first time on Saturday.
He said the gelding had an abnormal epiglottis which had impeded his breathing but estimated since wearing a tongue tie in training that his breathing had improved 25 per cent.
