Trainer Mick Price watched last week’s group 1 racing and knew he was coming out of the right race with Golden Path; the only doubt he has now heading into Saturday’s Hill Stakes is that it might be a bridge too far.
The five-year-old will have the final run of a preparation, which started in March, at Rosehill but it seems the right race for him after two wins at 2000m before taking the Premier’s Cup Prelude over 1800m at Rosehill.
Chad Schofield and Golden Path score an easy McKell Cup win in June.Credit: Getty Images
He will be asked to run 1900m for $2 million on Saturday, which is a perfect trip for him.
“He has been up for a while, but we saw this race and thought he is going so well, can we get him there,” Price said.
After a benchmark win at 2000m and a dominant McKell Cup victory in June, Golden Run had a short freshen-up before his Premier’s Cup Prelude win.
“We missed the Premiers Cup to add this on, and I think it really comes down to if we have gone one run too far,” Price said.
“He is a naturally fit horse and isn’t showing any signs that he is tired.
“He’s coming out of the right race. He ran into two group 1 horses last time and didn’t lose any face.”
After his hat-trick of wins, Golden Path got home late into third behind Eliyass and Ceolwulf in the Kingston Town Stakes, and about a length behind him were Land Legend and Zardozi, which ran the quinella in the Metropolitan.
“There is no better form race in the country. Eliyass went to Melbourne and stepped up to the Turnbull Stakes and ran third. Ceolwulf was too good in the Epsom,” Price said.
“It is group 1 form and this is a group 2. If he runs to that form, he will be the one they have to beat.”
Golden Path has been rated a $5.50 chance by bookmakers in a market that has Epsom placegetter Royal Patronage as the $3.80 favourite, Pericles at $3.90 and Kovalica at $4.40.
If Golden Path can win, it will be the biggest notch for the Rosehill operation of Price and his training partner Mick Kent junior, which is about to become a permanent feature of Sydney racing.
They have seven wins in Sydney from limited numbers since starting six months ago with a near miss in the group 1 All Aged Stakes with Amenable, which lines up in Saturday’s Alan Brown Stakes from the outside barrier.
“He can’t win from out there, but it is a $1.5 million race, so we will be trying,” Price said of the All Aged runner-up.
“He is very good but the draw makes it very hard over 1400m.
“He is building up to the Five Diamonds, and there are a couple of more races up in Sydney for him and he likes it up there.”
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