Price confidence in Warmonger

[Wandering Eyes]

Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr will feature prominently in Brisbane’s upcoming Winter Carnival, with several key runners in feature races.

Group One South Australian Derby (2500m) runner-up Warmonger (NZ) (War Decree) has come through his run behind Coco Sun in great order and will head north for the Gr.1 Queensland Derby (2400m) on 1st June.

“We’ll put him on the plane and send him up for the Derby,” Price said.

“I was in two minds … he’ll be a nice staying four-year-old but just having a good look at him over the last few days he looks beautiful, so off he goes to have a crack at Eagle Farm.”

Price said Jamie Kah will likely jump aboard Warmonger for her first race-day sit on the three-year-old War Decree gelding.

“I think J. Kah will ride him … mile-and-a-half, that’s him,” Price said.

“He’s settling now without the blinkers, I just need to draw a barrier and get someone on him who might give him a rub out of the gates and if he’s travelling midfield or no further back, he can win a mile-and-a-half Derby no problem.”

Renowned mudlark Hezashocka (NZ) (Shocking) will be hoping for anything but sunshine ahead of a busy schedule at the Queensland Winter Carnival over the next month.

The New Zealand-bred horse ran out an impressive victor in last weekend’s Listed Gosford Cup, which was transferred to Newcastle due to heavy rain.

The son of Shocking managed the Heavy 9 track with ease to capture his maiden Listed triumph and co-trainer Mick Price has revealed a potential busy month ahead for the six-year-old.

“Well, he’s definitely going to the mile-and-a-half races up there … assume the Q22,” said Price, who trains in partnership with Michael Kent Jnr.

“[We’ll] use the Doomben Cup as his gallop into the Premier’s Cup seven days later.

“The Premier’s Cup is where you’ll see him at his best in a mile and-a-half.”

The three races planned are the A$1 million Doomben Cup, A$200,000 Premier’s Cup and A$1.2m Q22 within 20 days, in what will be Hezashocka’s first appearance in Queensland since his maiden run in Australia more than three years ago.

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