It has been a long time between drinks for the connections of Charm Stone, but the mare is primed for a return to winning form in a Group 1 contest at Morphettville.
Charm Stone returns from a break in the Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m) on Saturday, having not raced since finishing second on the Gold Coast in January.
Trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr have given the mare two jump-outs in preparation for her first trip to Adelaide.
A rising five-year-old, Charm Stone has been winless since scoring in the Listed Atlantic Jewel Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley in September 2023, which followed a win at Caulfield three weeks earlier.
Charm Stone headed to the 2023 edition of the Group 1 Golden Rose (1400m) at Rosehill, finishing fifth, and while preparing for an autumn campaign it was discovered the then three-year-old had suffered a bone chip that required surgery.
It wasn’t until 13 months after her run in the Golden Rose that Charm Stone eventually made it back to the track, having a mixed spring campaign before venturing north to the Gold Coast.
Charm Stone’s best performance during the spring was finishing third to Maharba and Rey Magnerio over 1200m at Flemington before running midfield in the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield.
Price said he was satisfied with how Charm Stone had been progressing and was deserving of a shot at the Group 1 first-up.
“She’s going super,” Price said.
“It’s been a bit of a goal for Shamus (Mills) to run in the Group 1 and I’m expecting she’ll go well.
“She had a knee chip taken out a while after the Golden Rose and had quite a bit of time away from racing, but she’s going good now.”
Charm Stone will be ridden by Mark Zahra who is chasing his first win in the Group 1 contest having finished fifth in last year’s contest aboard the $2.80 favourite Estriella.
Price and Kent Jnr are returning to Adelaide with Reserve Bank to run in the Group 2 Tobin Bronze Stakes (1200m).
Reserve Bank found himself back in winning form when taking out the Listed Redelva Stakes (1100m) at Morphettville on April 12, having run sixth in the Group 1 William Reid Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley in his previous outing.
“He’s going to go back over,” Price said.
“Some of these colts need to get into the groove of racing. First-up he was fresh, second-up he was in the Group 1 and third up he was in the groove.”
