The Mick Price and Michael Kent stable has landed back-to-back wins in the Blue Sapphire Stakes at Caulfield with Grand Impact dominating on a heavy track.
It was Price’s third win in the race that was transferred from a two-year-old contest in autumn to a spring three-year-old race in 2014.
Price first won with Flying Artie in 2016 before Kent Jnr joined him as co-trainer to win the race last year with Extreme Warrior.
Grand Impact has made giant steps and was having his third start on Wednesday, beginning his career late in his two-year-old season, winning at Geelong, before scoring at Sandown in early August.
Ridden by Ben Melham, Grand Impact ($4.80) scored by 1-¾ lengths from Shalailed ($26) with Lofty Strike ($7.50) a length away third.
The $2.10 favourite Economics was scratched after playing up in the barriers.
Price said the secret with getting Grand Impact to success in an early season three-year-old stakes race was not overtaxing him too early in his career.
“The blueprint with all these nice colts if you’re going to win a nice race with them, it’s no use just going and going and going from when they have their first start, you need to time the run,” Price said.
“I spent a lot of time in the ‘red folder’ driving myself mad trying to get their timing right.
“I bought these two colts (Bews also) out here last Saturday morning and had a course proper gallop. Bews worked better than Grand Impact, but no blinkers on Grand Impact means no effort.
“He’s a funny colt. Blinkers on race day, he’s a real race day colt, but you can’t take anything away from him as he was very strong to the line.
“It is two-and-a-half weeks into the Coolmore for both of them.”
The Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on the opening day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival is regarded as a stallion making race.
Price said Grand Impact would not be bothered by what conditions were served up on next time out, having proved himself on soft ground, while the trainer believes a solidly run 1200m on top of the ground would be no concern.
Price said Bews would be better suited on firmer going than Wednesday’s heavy ground in finishing in sixth position.
“He was all over the place,” Price said.
“Bad ground, he went left and right and off and on.
“The gate didn’t help but the whole race didn’t work for Bews but look, I believe in the horse, he’s a really nice horse and he’ll definitely run in the Coolmore.”
