The carrot of a place in October’s Gr.1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) dangles in front of New Zealand bred stayer Hezashocka (NZ) (Shocking) when he contests Saturday’s Listed Mornington Cup (2400m).
Victory in the contest gives the winner a ballot exemption in the A$5 million spring major.
“He is excellent, that horse, and he is going to run in the Mornington Cup, the major benefit out of that is, if you win, you are in the Caulfield Cup,” Co-trainer Mick Price told Racing.com.
Price, who trains in partnership with Michael Kent Jnr, rued Hezashocka’s recent near misses, including a close-run fourth in the Gr.1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick and a third in the Gr.1 Champions Stakes (2000m) at Flemington last spring.
“He then had his chance the other day on the wet track and ran fourth and that’s him, so we are going to try him over a mile-and-a-half, which I think he’ll handle no problems at all, and we’ll take it from there,” Price said.
Blake Shinn has been booked to ride the five-year-old gelding, who was purchased as a yearling for $18,000 by Kiwi trainers Shaun and Emma Clotworthy and has now amassed $965,000 in prize-money.
