Trainer Matt Laurie and owners Yulong are keeping their eyes firmly on the prize as Vinrock prepares for the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m).

While originally earmarked for the Group 1 Golden Rose (1400m) in Sydney this weekend, connections have opted to remain in Melbourne with the colt set to contest the Group 2 Stutt Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley on Friday night instead.

Laurie said the Caulfield Guineas, long regarded as a stallion-making race, is the clear target, and removing interstate travel gives Vinrock the best chance of peaking on October 11.

Already a Group 1 winner as a two-year-old in the ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m), Vinrock resumed this campaign with a fourth at Caulfield over 1200m before impressively landing the Listed Exford Plate (1400m) at Flemington.

“We had a good think about it, and we just felt to give him the best chance to be back for the Guineas it would be to stay home and run in the Stutt,” Laurie said.

“Hopefully it’s another Group race he can add to his resume and then he can take his chance in the Guineas.

“I don’t think it will hurt him having a strong, 1600-metre run before the Guineas.

“He can begin well and take up a position, and I think the Stutt has been a reasonable form race for the Guineas.

“We’ve been to Sydney before with him. I’m not worried about the travel as such and I’d love to compete in the Golden Rose, but for his primary goal (the Guineas) we’re better off staying home and focusing on this.”

Recent history shows how difficult the Stutt Stakes–Caulfield Guineas double is to achieve, with only Helenus (2002), Whobegotyou (2008) and Griff (2023) successful this century.

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