Trainer Robbie Griffiths will be able to gauge how much improvement Invincible Son has made when the colt steps out for the second time at Caulfield.
A debut third to Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Unit Five at Caulfield Heath last month, Invincible Son heads to the Group 3 Chairman’s Stakes (1000m) on Saturday.
Griffiths said there was room for improvement from Invincible Son as the colt heads towards the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on February 21.
The trainer said it was unable to glean how much the colt had learned from his debut outing, but a trip back to the jump-outs at Cranbourne on Monday was just what Griffiths wanted to see from Invincible Son who finished third to the highly touted Guest House over 800m.
“It is hard to say how much he took from his first race because he hadn’t been back to the barriers until Monday and I thought he trialled really well,” Griffiths said.
“That Guest House is a pretty good horse, and I thought our bloke went well.
“Nathan Punch never let him off the bit and the pleasing thing about Saturday is he’s drawn one. He drew the outside on debut and had to burn a bit of energy around the corner to get into the race.
“The race set-up suggested he was never going to run better than third. If he had waited, he still runs third and if he tries to get into the race earlier, he burns it around the corner.
“It was nice to see Unit Five win the Magic Millions and even though we got beaten a substantial amount in a sprint race, it was good to see the form stack up.”
Griffiths expects the roomier track to suit Invincible Son after making his debut on the tighter confines at Caulfield Heath.
And the trainer has added confidence with Jamie Melham sticking with the colt.
“He should be more comfortable because our training centre at Cranbourne is quite large,” Griffiths said.
“I think most of the Cranbourne-trained horses appreciate a little bit of space until they get a bit of practise under their belt.
“I think the biggest plus for him is barrier one. It gives Jamie the opportunity to do what she wants.”
Griffiths said the Blue Diamond was high on the agenda for Invincible Son, although he conceded there were lesser options they could take.
“Win, lose or draw, whatever happens, he’s going to improve,” Griffiths said.
“You can’t be at your peak now if you want to be in the Diamond in three weeks’ time.
“The most important thing is to see where his benchmark is at this time of the year.
“If he runs a good race on Saturday, knowing there’s room to improve, then we can go into the final with some optimism knowing we’re somewhere in the mix.”
