Triumph bases all covered
Talented trio can deliver
Golden Path has gone “enormous” in the lead up, Hezashocka is a definite winning chance and Grand Impact is a mudlark.
The talented trio are set to ensure Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr have their bases covered for Saturday’s rescheduled The Coast day at Newcastle with the Victorian trainers gunning for a feature clean sweep.
Saturday’s feature meeting was transferred to Newcastle on Thursday evening due to a heavy 10 track at Gosford and the forecast of further rain on the Central Coast.
Price and Kent Jnr are still set to wield a strong hand with lightly-raced talent Golden Path in the $500,000 The Coast (1600m), Hezashocka in the Listed $300,000 Gosford Gold Cup (2100m) and Grand Impact taking on the Listed $250,000 Takeover Target Stakes (1200m).
Golden Path ($14) is looking to snare his first victory since winning the Silver Bowl Series Final (1600m) at Flemington last July.
The son of Belardo, who was tested in stakes races last spring, is third up in The Coast after finishing midfield in the Listed Golden Mile at Bendigo last time out.
“Golden Path looked a very promising horse towards the end of last preparation running against horses like Antino at stakes level,” Kent Jnr said.
“His first up run was enormous when he ran on without much room late and second up we were most disheartened by the performance. We couldn’t explain it. It was seemingly just a flat run second up.“
Price and Kent Jnr have made a gear change in an effort to get Golden Path back on the winner’s list.
“We have always kept blinkers up our sleeve so we’ve applied them for Saturday,“Kent Jnr said.
“He worked enormous here on Tuesday, sitting off a maiden and braining it by four lengths with more to offer so the blinkers might do the trick.
“Just hoping barrier one is not a negative at that time of day on a soft track.”
Newcastle was rated in the soft range on Friday with more rain forecast on raceday that could see the track downgraded. The wetter the better for stablemate Hezashocka as he prepares to tackle the Gold Cup at his fourth run this preparation. The son of Shocking has never missed the placings on heavy going and is a $4 chance to improve on that record this weekend with Chad Schofield aboard.
“Hezashocka eats the mud,” Kent Jnr said. “He is in great form.
Grand Impact made a promising start to his career with a hat-trick of wins, including a Group 3 success, but then spent more than 500 days on the sidelines.
The four-year-old is unplaced in two runs this preparation as he continues to work his way back to top form.
“We are hopeful and not confident with Grand Impact,” Kent Jnr said.
“He is clearly a mudlark, he loves it heavy.”