Mick Price says Coolmore Stud Stakes prizemoney should be raised to reflect rising status of the race

The Coolmore Stud Stakes is shaping as arguably the highlight of the iconic Derby Day meeting at Flemington on Saturday.

The Group 1 three-year-old race is likely to feature Price’s crack colts Extreme Choice and Flying Artie, Godolphin’s super colt Astern, the brilliant Team Hawkes sprinter Star Turn and the Peter and Paul Snowden-trained duo, Slipper hero Capitalist and the unbeaten Russian Revolution.

“It is going to be a super race and it begs the question should these magnificent colts be racing for only $500,000,’’ Price said. “This race is the Golden Slipper for three-year-olds. The quality of the race has improved so much over the years to the point where if you have a quality sprinting colt you want to set him for the Coolmore in the spring.

“I think it is a matter of time before Racing Victoria and the Victoria Racing Club address this and grant the race the proper prizemoney. I feel the race has caught them by surprise a bit.’’

Extreme Choice shares TAB Fixed Odds race favouritism at $3.50 with Astern while Flying Artie is in the market at $7.

“There is not a lot between my two colts,’’ Price said. “I would say Extreme Choice is proven to have a very strong last 200m and 100m in his races. In the Moir Stakes, he was strong late.

“He has improved from his two-year-old days when he weighed in at 417kg but now he is 450kg hard fit. I think that augurs well for him to be one of the better chances on Saturday.’’

Price lured champion jockey Hugh Bowman to Caulfield on Tuesday morning to partner Flying Artie in his morning gallop. Bowman will take over from the suspended Damien Oliver in Saturday’s big race.

“Flying Artie has made a lot of improvement from his first-up win at Caulfield,’’ Price said. “Both of these colts go into the Coolmore primed for the race.’’

Price is also hopeful of winning a second successive $1.5 million Victoria Derby (2500m) on Saturday with Rocketeer. “All we need is a gate then Mark Zahra can put Rocketeer to sleep early and I think he will run the 2500m,’’ he said.

Tarzino provided Price with a Victoria Derby triumph last year but the young stayer was recently retired with a leg injury and may go to stud in New Zealand.

Price was speaking at the launch of MiRunners.com, a new racehorse ownership program which has been enabled by Australian developed web and app technology with the aim to significantly increase the number of horse owners by reducing the upfront and ongoing costs of owning a top level racehorse.

“This concept provides the opportunity for people at home to get involved at a low price point with quality trainers and quality yearling,’’ Price said.

“It give people the chance to get involved in a quality colt or possibly a filly which will go to successful stables where the horse gets every chance.’’

Capitalist flying under the radar

WHEN was the last time a Golden Slipper winner had become the forgotten horse?

Capitalist is an entry for the Group 1 $500,000 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on Saturday but he has been overlooked amid all the hype about the showdown between Astern, Extreme Choice, Flying Artie and Star Turn.

But that might all be about to after Capitalist gave a timely reminder of his brilliance at Flemington trackwork on Tuesday morning when he tore up the straight course and recorded a closing sectional of a stunning 21.98s for his final 400m.

Last season’s champion two-year-old colt showed in his workout that he is right in the mix for one of the most anticipated races of the spring carnival — if he starts.

Peter Snowden, co-trainer of Capitalist, said if the decision was up to him he would wait and take on the older horses in the Group 1 $1 million Darley Classic (1200m) at Flemington on November 5.

“Personally, I would go to next week’s but if the team (owners) want to run in the Coolmore Stud Stakes, he will be there,’’ Snowden said. “The decision is weather-related. The weather might be better this Saturday.’’

The forecast for the rest of this week is encouraging with Snowden hellbent on avoiding having to run Capitalist on a wet track again.

Snowden scratched Capitalist just a couple of hours before the Manikato Stakes at Moonee Valley last Friday night to avoid racing his star colt on a rain-affected track.

“There was no point running him on a wet track, we don’t want to see him run seventh which is what would have happened that night,’’ Snowden said.

“It has been a frustrating spring so far with Capitalist, very stop-start, because of the wet tracks.

“But he is going great, he absolutely flew in trackwork (Tuesday morning), he is going well enough and just needs a dry track. If we get that (Saturday) I would not be frightened to take on those good colts in the Coolmore Stud Stakes.’’

Snowden said Capitalist’s stablemate, unbeaten Russian Revolution is a certain starter in the feature three-year-old race which is shaping as the highlight of Derby Day.

“Russian Revolution is a quality colt, he trialled nicely last Friday and he will run a very competitive race,’’ Snowden said. “He is a very underrated young sprinter, which I like. But this is going to be a great race. There are seven or eight very smart colts, it is a star-studded field and you can definitely say the winner is the best three-year-old sprinter.’’

Originally published as Coolmore deserves prize boost, says Price