Mick Price intends to back up Instinction in next Saturday’s Group Two Sandown Guineas after the colt fought on tenaciously to win the Hilton Hotels Stakes at Flemington.
The grey son of Exceed And Excel was coming off a maiden win at Kyneton over 1479m when an odds-on favourite at his fifth start.
Instinction winning the Hilton Hotels Stakes (Listed) at Flemington - photo by Race Horse Photos Australia
Sent out at $31 and well ridden by Craig Newitt, Instinction enjoyed a nice trail from barrier one and found plenty in the closing stages to get up on the inside and beat Mahisara ($7.50) by a short head with Amah Rock ($7.50) three-quarters of a length away third.
“We’ve always had a good opinion of him as everyone says when their horse wins but I ran him in the Kyneton maiden to break his duck and see if we could get him into the Carbine Club (Stakes on Derby Day),” Price said.
However Instinction had to miss that race.
“He has had his issues with tracheal mucus, which (is why) we had to scratch him from the Carbine Club so we actually put him on cut-up paper, cut-up cardboard (in his box),” the Caulfield trainer said.
“He sits in six inches full of cut-up cardboard every morning and he’s happy.”
Price said the good draw and ride helped Instinction in Saturday’s Listed 1400m event.
“I knew he was hard-fit and it was just a matter of whether he had the proper turn of foot,” he said.
“We’re happy and he’s a nice horse so hopefully we can run him in the Sandown Guineas.
“He has got to bounce back, doesn’t he? He’s had a solid run here but the Sandown Guineas was always going to be our target.
“Now that he has got a Listed race win, it gets his rating up and we can go in there with him and a mile (1600m) will be beautiful for him.”
Newitt said Instinction had been a little bit frustrating and he hadn’t won a maiden before this preparation but had kept on improving.
“Mick has done a really good job with him,” he said.
“He is a horse looking for the mile so I knew he would be strong late so I used him a little bit from the gate and he was there from when I needed him.
“He was only in front for one stride but it was the stride that counted.”
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