Promising juvenile Prince Tycoon may have earned himself a trip to the Queensland Winter Carnival after overcoming greenness to win on debut at Caulfield on Saturday.
Prepared by Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young, the son of Written Tycoon showed signs of inexperience throughout the $150,000 Next Payments Handicap but proved too strong late, living up to his strong trial form and justifying his $2 starting price.
Despite hanging around the home bend and being the first under pressure, Prince Tycoon knuckled down in the final 200m to surge past Rosangela ($8.50), winning by a long neck. Millenium Blade ($10) was a further 2.5 lengths away in third.
“He was hanging the whole way around the corner and wasn’t super sharp like he was in the trial and I thought, ‘geez, when you’re the first one off the bit you’re in trouble’, but to his credit he dug in deep,” Busuttin said.
The colt could now be aimed at the $1 million Magic Millions National 2YO Classic, run at the Gold Coast on Friday night, May 23.
“There’s a million-dollar two-year-old race on the Gold Coast in about two weeks, so it’ll be hard to argue against that,” Busuttin added.
“But it’s just good to come here and get the job done. They’re always hard to win on a Saturday and they’re hard to win first time to the races.”
Prince Tycoon was purchased for $80,000 at the Gold Coast January Sale by Busuttin and Young in partnership with First Light Racing and has already repaid connections with a city-class victory.
After jumping well, he sat outside the leader Rosangela but struggled with the Caulfield turn from the 400m before hitting top gear late under jockey Daniel Moor, who had done most of the preparatory work.
“That was critically important, having that association with him before today, because he’s a quicky horse – he’s a big, scopey horse with great ability – but he’s still very much unfinished in his furnishing,” Moor said.
“He’s got a good future. He does need to furnish, he does need to mature, but even off today he may get a little bit further as well.”
With a potential start in the lucrative Magic Millions National 2YO Classic looming, punters can expect betting markets to heat up quickly. For the best promotions and odds on juvenile features this carnival, visit our full betting sites list.
