A trip to Queensland could be the making of High Spirit who gets his second chance to win a stakes race when he runs at the Sunshine Coast.
High Spirit, who is one of several horses the Peter and Paul Snowden training partnership prepare for Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, will be having his final start for the winter in Saturday’s Group Three Sunshine Coast Guineas.
The race has been won by some class horses in recent years including Winx and multiple group-winner Hopfgarten.
The Snowdens are hoping High Spirit can add his name to the honour roll and go on to greater things.
The colt is by top sire High Chaparral out of Encosta De Lago mare Azumi, meaning there will be no better bred horse in Saturday’s capacity field.
High Spirit has one win, a Gosford maiden, and four metropolitan placings to his credit but his last-start fourth in the Group Two Queensland Guineas when he had little luck, caught the eye.
Paul Snowden said the penny was starting to drop with High Spirit who had been a work in progress.
“We’ve had to take our time with this horse and let him develop in to his big frame,” Snowden said.
“But he seems to have really benefited from the trip to Queensland as previously he wanted to over-race and now he will work with you rather than against you.
“Also being by High Chaparral, he’ll only get better the further he steps up in distance.”
High Spirit returned to Sydney after the Guineas run but will head north again on Wednesday night.
“He is going well so with such a well-bred colt you would obviously like to get some black type,” Snowden said.
It is unlikely High Spirit will be brought back for a spring campaign.
“We are looking at him as more of an autumn horse. He only had a short freshen-up before heading to Queensland and he probably would benefit from longer spell,” Snowden said.
Trainer Kevin Kemp will wait until later in the week to decide whether Sold For Song backs up in the Guineas from her win in Saturday’s Daybreak Lover Stakes.
“She has been bright this week and if that continues she will run on Saturday. But if she shows us she has had enough she will go for a spell,” Kemp said.
“I will make a final decision on Friday.
Kemp is keen to take Sold For Song to Melbourne in the spring but again will not be risking the filly.
“There is always next winter and we think she will be an ideal Stradbroke Handicap horse next year,” he added.
