Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr’s big guns are weeks away from returning to the races, but the Cranbourne training duo on Friday unearthed a couple of rising three-year-old’s who could also be a factor in spring.
First-starters Cadazio and Grand Impact demonstrated that they have above average ability with an impressive running double at Geelong.
Cadazio justified the raps that were established after a dominant 990-metre Cranbourne trial win with a strong performance 1400m, just 30 minutes after Grand Impact’s electric display over 1200m.
Cadazio, a son of Tarzino, has been touted as a Victoria Derby contender and Jye McNeil made use of the colt early to find the spot outside the leader before upping the ante rounding the home turn and pulling away over the final 200m to score by 2-1/2 lengths at $1.60.
“The thing I was most impressed about today was, in his parade he was very fresh and very well and went to the gates really keen and I was a little bit worried he might be doing the same in the run,” McNeil said.
“But once we pressed forward, it was a moderate tempo and he responded to coming back and relaxed really well, which great for him because he’s obviously going to get over more ground.
“He’s got a nice enough future as a stayer.”
Cadazio’s winning margin was double that of Grand Impact, but the son of Satano Aladdin rivalled his stablemate for win-of-the-day honours.
Grand Impact, who like Cadazio was bred in New Zealand, had 1-1/4 lengths to spare at the line but was throttled down by Michael Walker from the 100m when around four lengths clear.
“He’s a serious horse,” Walker said of the $3.60 favourite. “I had one sit on him in a jumpout and I said to ‘Pricey’, ‘please, can I stick with him’.
“He still doesn’t know what he’s doing. You can see in the straight, he ran in, he was having a look at the grandstand and the people standing in it and he’s won by that much. It was very easy actually.”
