Price confident star has grunt to beat barrier

TRAINER Mick Price is delighted with the progress Grunt has made as he chases consecutive Group 1 wins.

But Price has a doubt how Grunt will fare from the outside draw in tomorrow’s Underwood Stakes at Caulfield.

The horse appreciated the return to Flemington when successful in the Makybe Diva Stakes on September 15 and the trainer sees the 1800m as ideal for the lightly raced fouryear-old.

“I’m very happy with the horse,” he said.

“He hasn’t put a foot wrong since his Flemington win, so I think he’ll race very well.

“But it will be interesting to see how ‘Ollie’ (Damien Oliver) rides him from 10 out of 10 given that the race could easily be controlled from the front.

“We won’t be tying him down with any instructions as at the end of the day he’s got to make his own decisions.”

Grunt has raced twice at Caulfield finishing out of the money both time.

Each race was over 1400m, at weight-for-age, and Price fears Grunt will be labelled a Caulfield failure if he loses again.

“If he gets beaten everyone will be saying it’s his hoodoo, but there might be circumstances around it,” he said.

“Stepping up in distance I’m less concerned about him at Caulfield.”

Grunt is the $3 favourite with Humidor second pick at $3.80 and Godolphin visitor Blair House next best at $5.

Price has healthy regard for Blair House as well as his English trainer Charlie Appleby.

“Given that he brings the right horses here and they stand up under pressure I would say he might be the one to beat,” he said.

“So I would think Grunt wouldn’t want to be giving it too big a start. “But I think it’s a little dangerous to bowl forward and get stuck and he (Grunt) seems to be a horse that is a good finisher so I think it would be a bit dangerous to sit outside the leader.

“At the end of the day Ollie’s out there riding, not me.”