Pat Carey may be assured of Recon’s talent, but after the four-year-old’s first-run fifth position in Flemington’s Listed race, he scarcely envisioned single-figure quotes for a Group 1 soon after.

A remarkable second-up score in the Hareeba Stakes all but mandated that the clever Mornington handler contemplate the $1 million The Goodwood featuring the lightly tested gelding.

With few races under his belt, the gelding surged forward to overwhelm foes in the 1200m Listed affair on his venue’s annual flagship day, April 18, solidifying Carey’s view of his readiness for South Australia’s signature sprint.

“After he won the Harbeeba, he jumped something like 17 (ratings) points, so it ruled out a lot of the last bit of progress through the grades he had,” Carey said.

“So, he’s basically obliged to run in sort of Listed-plus races now, anyway.

“We still think that there’s more to come with him at 1400 and maybe further, but he deserves his opportunity at this level, at this time of his career.”

The Hareeba Stakes provided his sixth victory across 11 starts, having previously topped out at benchmark 84 prior to the current campaign.

Carey, who teamed up with Harris Walker for training in 2023, delights in campaigning a horse so respected in a prominent sprint.

His four Group 1 conquests have all been at 2400m or beyond, including Cederberg taking the Tancred Stakes, plus Oaks successes with Arapaho Miss and Gondokoro, and Ethiopia’s ATC Derby win.

Post the Hareeba Stakes, Carey has noted positive signs from Recon and foresees a competitive run at Morphettville.

“He’s been kept up to the mark, he had a nice gallop on the course proper at Mornington today and he’s continued to hold good form,” Carey said from Bendigo on Saturday.

“We’re optimistic about where his future is going to take him.”

Recon trades at $7 in The Goodwood markets, with $5 joint heads Extragalactic and Flying For Fun out front.

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