Mick Price and Michael Kent Jr having a crack at Caulfield Guineas with Public Attention
Emerging colt Public Attention might need a bit more luck in running if he is to complete the task of toppling Broadsiding in Saturday’s Caulfield Guineas.
A little luck in running would help trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent Jr complete a tall order in Saturday’s Caulfield Guineas.
Price and Kent Jr, along with their fellow competitors, need to find a way to beat exciting Godolphin colt Broadsiding, who is an odds-on favourite to post his fourth Group 1 win.
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Odds are of no concern to Price, who won the 2017 Caulfield Guineas with $101 chance Mighty Boss but Ladbrokes rated the stable’s sole hope Public Attention at $19.
Public Attention won on debut at Caulfield in July before the striking grey chased home the smart Angel Capital at his next two starts at The Valley and Caulfield.
However, Kent Jr said Public Attention would have a better record of a win and a third form two starts had the son of Written Tycoon had more luck.
“To be fair to the horse, all three runs have been full of merit with no luck at all,” Kent Jr said.
“He got stuck three wide with no cover on debut yet was still good enough and courageous enough to win.
“He got held up from an inside draw at Moonee Valley so that was a forgive run and last start, I thought he was the run of the race in the main Melbourne lead-up to the Guineas.
“Again he was stuck three-wide with no cover and, in a tight finish, kept sticking his head out.”
Kent Jr said the longer 1600m trip would ensure a changed style of race in the Caulfield Guineas.
He added Public Attention could thrive over the journey, especially with the benefit of two runs to prepare him for the $3m event.
It's a winning debut for the grey colt, Public Attention! ð¥
— Racing.com (@Racing) July 27, 2024
He salutes at $15 for @MickPriceRacing ð° @Brown_ethan8pic.twitter.com/4mimQWIOcw
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“The mile is going to be a different race on Saturday and I’d just love to see our bloke getting a charmed run,” Kent Jr said.
“Of course, we’ve all got to beat the boom colt from Sydney but I think the way our bloke has performed and the way he’s trained on, there’s no reason he can’t be in the thick end of the prizemoney.”
Irrespective of the result of the Caulfield Guineas, Kent Jr said the camp was excited to see how Public Attention developed into his autumn campaign.
“He really fills your eye and is a really big, impressive and imposing animal with a great attitude,” Kent Jr said.
“I can only imagine how much better he’s going to be in his next preparation because this is only his first racing prep.
“He’s doing a remarkable job.”