Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr are set to field a trio of three-year-olds in a race at Caulfield Heath.
The lightly raced horses Brazen Dechambeau, Commit, and Dustee are scheduled to contest The Vally @ Caulfield Handicap (1200m) this Saturday.
All three runners have racing experience this season, and the trainers are hopeful they can progress to higher levels beyond Saturday metropolitan racing.
Price noted that he would be better placed to judge their potential for Stakes company after Saturday’s event.
Brazen Dechambeau is now in his third racing preparation.
After a midfield debut at Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day last year, he was spelled and then returned to win at Pakenham in early January.
Spelled again following that win, Brazen Dechambeau finished fifth over 1100m at Caulfield on July 25, and Price believes the step up in distance will benefit him.
“He’s a good horse and he wants every inch of 1200 metres,” Price said. “He needed the run the other day and I think there will be good improvement.”
Commit is set for his third run this preparation in Saturday’s race.
He defeated stablemate Dustee at Sale on June 28 before running third to the promising American Eagle at Sandown on July 15.
American Eagle, with just one start, is nominated for the Cox Plate for Anthony and Sam Freedman.
Price hopes Commit can settle closer to the pace on Saturday, having been slow away at Sandown.
“That was not my preferred option to be out the back on him, but he was a little bit slow away and he gave away a good start,” Price stated. “He was very good late and he’s capable of being a nice, metropolitan Saturday horse. He’s pretty cherry ripe.”
Price described Dustee as ‘tough’ and noted his improvement with racing and further training.
Dustee had a quiet run first-up at Bendigo but has since finished second at Sale and won at Seymour.
“Alana Kelly rode him at Bendigo,” Price mentioned. “He went around very green, like he was switched off, for whatever reason, so I put the blinkers on him, did some genuine solid work with him and that turned him. He’ll show up. He worked good on Saturday morning.”
The Australian betting sites are already offering competitive odds for the Caulfield Heath meeting.