Victorian-trained colt Prestar has given Tony and Calvin McEvoy a pleasant conundrum as they consider whether to keep him in Sydney for some of the better three-year-old races.
Having his first start since placing in juvenile company on the Caloundra Cup program in July, Prestar ($3.40) upset odds-on favourite Johnny by a half-length in Wednesday’s Schweppes Handicap (1150m) at Randwick’s Kensington track, tempting the McEvoys to test the carnival waters.
Tony McEvoy said the stable had always held the son of Zoustar in high regard and believed he had stakes-class ability.
“Really impressive young horse. A horse we’ve got a lot of time for,” Tony McEvoy said.
“He is still working it all out and I thought he was fantastic today.
“I think he is a black-type horse. After his maiden I went straight to black-type and I asked him to do something that he couldn’t do. He just got it all wrong and he didn’t have the experience and you get exposed pretty quickly at Listed level.
“I’ll talk to (jockey) Ash (Morgan) to see where he thinks he’ll fit and whether we stay and run in another stakes race here like a Run To The Rose or whether we should be running a bit lower than that.”
Morgan is coming off a breakout season in which he captured his first Group 1 win aboard Private Harry in the Galaxy (1100m) and has been keen to stick with Prestar since partnering him to his Sunshine Coast placing.
He said the three-year-old showed a dazzling turn of foot at the top of the straight on Wednesday and if he could retain that over longer distances he had a bright future.
“I loved him when I rode him at the ‘Sunny’ Coast and I was filthy I got beaten,” Morgan said.
“He crabbed a little around the turn (at Kensington) but when he balanced up he let rip. I was really surprised to see one near me because I feel like I really let go of him to put the race to bed.
“If he can hold that turn of foot over a longer trip he is a very good horse.”
The Ciaron Maher-trained Siriusly Hot ($16) took out the other three-year-old race on the midweek program in his first appearance as a gelding.
Winning jockey Chad Schofield said he felt he was on the winner a long way out, despite coming from well back in the field.
“The way he quickened at the top of the straight, that’s why I could pick anywhere to go because I had so much horse underneath me. He was a class above,” Schofield said.
Siriusly Hot raced five times at two, highlighted by a placing behind subsequent ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes winner Vinrock in February.
