2024 Brian Crowley Stakes: Robert and Luke Price saddle up Smashing Time

Trainer Luke Price has labelled Saturday’s Listed $200,000 Brian Crowley Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick as the target race for Smashing Time but the stable have bigger plans on the radar for their untapped gelding.

Trainer Luke Price has labelled Saturday’s Listed $200,000 Brian Crowley Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick as the target race for Smashing Time but the stable have bigger plans on the radar for their untapped gelding.

Smashing Time is the $3.20 favourite for the sprint feature with gun jockey Tommy Berry set to pilot the gelding in the three-year-event.

Price, who trains with his father Rob, has had the race marked on the calendar for their lightly-raced talent as they look to plot a course towards next year’s $3 million Magic Millions Guineas (1400m).

Smashing Time tuned up for the Brian Crowley with a determined win over 1200m on home turf first up.

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“He is a naturally athletic type of horse,” Price said.

“We have taken our time bringing him up and he had that one quiet trial bringing up a week out from his first up run.

“We went into that knowing he would bounce into that being on his home track and he might have only just got there but he ran good sectionals and got a lovely ride from Rory (Hutchings).

“The horse bounced out of it really well and this is the race he has been set for.”

The Prices took Smashing Time to Queensland during his juvenile season after the son of Brave Smash showed plenty of promise early on.

Trainer Luke Price. Picture: Jeremy Ng / Getty Images

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Smashing Time hit the line as good as anything when fifth in the Group 2 Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) but wasn’t at his best next start in the Group 1 JJ Atkins Stakes.

He still learned plenty from the experience and could reap the benefits when the stable head north in the New Year.

“He is a Magic Millions horse and there is a $3 million cheque up there,”

“He could easily just have a let up and then be aimed with one run into that.

“We stayed with him there at the Gold Coast and he’s had two runs up there before.”

Monte Supreme and All Machiavellian will kick off the Prices’ day in the Midway Benchmark 72 Handicap (1200m).

Meanwhile, the Prices will wait until the New Year to give highly-promising filly Island Dec another crack in stakes grade.

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The Kermadec filly won her first two starts before finishing eighth in last Saturday’s Reginald Allen Quality (1400m) where she got back in the field and surged home.

The Prices have opted against heading to Melbourne and Island Dec will next line up on Big Dance day at Royal Randwick in a 1300m event.

“I don’t know if she is ready to travel yet so Tommy is booked to ride her at Randwick in that race,” Price said.

“Hopefully we get her benchmark up a little more by winning another race hopefully.

“It wouldn’t surprise me the way she went the other day and she has come through it really well.”

Last start Queensland Oaks runner up Our Gold Hope has missed the spring after suffering a minor setback in the lead up to the carnival.

She won’t be seen back at the races until early next year.

Originally published as 2024 Brian Crowley Stakes: Robert and Luke Price saddle up Smashing Time