South Australian trainer Michael Hickmott is using the Melbourne debut of Taunting to determine the spring path for the three-year-old.
Taunting, the winner of two of his three starts, runs in the Inglis 2022 Yearling Sales Series Plate (1200m) at The Valley on Saturday in which he will be ridden by in-form jockey Brett Prebble.
Both wins for Taunting came at 1100m, but Hickmott is using the 1200m journey on Saturday to see whether the Brazen Beau colt is worth stepping up in distance or kept to sprint trips.
Taunting has been nominated for the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) on October 9 along with the Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) at The Valley on October 23.
“His pedigree says he’s a six-furlong horse and everything he does to my eye says he’s going to run a mile,” Hickmott told RSN.
“After Saturday, if he steps up to the plate, Brett, the owners and I, will have a bit of chat as to where we head with him.
“The reason I went to this race is it leaves us the option to go to the Guineas Prelude (1400m) and if we have to step back to the 1100 (metres) in the Danehill, we are in a position to do that.”
Hickmott won the South Australian Metropolitan Trainers’ Premiership last season and says Taunting is the best horse he has been associated with, by a “significant margin”.
“Regardless of his ability which he is showing us, and I think he’s continuing to build on, the best part of the horse is his mind,” Hickmott said
He’s the most sound minded horse you could put a bridle on.
“For a three-year-old colt, nothing fazes him. He just walks around on the end of the lead.
“He’s by-far-and-away the most expensive horse that I’ve ever bought, and he’s just been a gem from day one.”
