The Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr have called on a set of blinkers for Welwal in his bid to win the inaugural running of The Supernova at Pakenham.
The $1 million race over 1400m on Saturday is the second of two ‘slot’ races introduced by Southside Racing, the merged entity of the Cranbourne Turf Club and Pakenham Racing Club.
Welwal runs in the slot purchased by the Melbourne Racing Club and earned his position in the field when successful in the Kevin Heffernan Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on November 30.
That was Welwal’s first outing for the Price and Kent Jnr yard havfing started his Australian career with Chris Waller after seven starts in France.
Welwal galloped in blinkers at Cranbourne last Saturday and again on Tuesday and Price said the gelding had taken to the headgear well.
“We were experimenting with blinkers on him because J-Mac (James McDonald) said to Junior, ‘can’t wait to see him in blinkers’,” Price said.
“He wanted them on when the horse was at Chris Wallers, so we’ve been experimenting with blinkers on, just a fiddle with them, but he’s going super.
“And any toe in the ground would be nice for him too.”
Price said he and the team had worked on refreshing Welwal’s mind after he first joined the stable having last raced for Waller in Queensland in May.
Welwal spent time when he first arrived with his new trainers at Price and Kent Jnr’s Balnarring stable, a complex they share with David Noonan.
“We’ve had the horse for six months and we’ve had to re-engineer him,” Price said.
“He’s thrived down at the Balnarring stables at the beach, he’s good in that environment and we’ve got him at Cranbourne now and he’s good in that environment too.
“He’s a very happy horse.”
Price and Kent Jnr will also saddle up Robrick in Saturday’s race after that galloper finished seventh behind Nadal, an opponent on Saturday, in the first slot race held by Southside Racing, The Meteorite (1200m) at Cranbourne on November 23.
After placings over 1200m at Geelong and Flemington, Robrick found that distance too short at Cranbourne last time out.
“Robrick is a better 1400-metre horse, and he ran really well at Cranbourne,” Price said.
“Welwal, if he can get his toe in is a better chance, but the 1400 metres is good for both of them, and Robrick is not without a chance, but I think Welwal is probably the better credentialled.”
