Trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr are bullish about the Morphettville prospects of promising Tarzino three-year-old Jungle Magnate.
The Cranbourne trainers have set the Westbury Stud graduate for the Group 1 South Australian Derby and will have his final lead-up in Saturday’s Group 3 Chairman’s Stakes.
“I am sure he is going to run very well and then he’ll come home to and go back for the Derby a fortnight later,” said Price, who trained Jungle Magnate’s sire to win the G1 VRC Derby and G1 Rosehill Guineas.
“We’ve got quite a few Tarzinos and they are good-boned and tough. They make very good 2000 metre horses and Derby and Oaks types,” Price said.
“You saw David Vandyke’s filly (Gypsy Goddess) run very well on a bog track when second in the G1 Australian Oaks.
“Tarzino doesn’t throw a weak horse, they are very strong and I really think he’s an interesting stallion.”
Price went to $75,000 to secure Jungle Magnate out of Westbury’s Karaka draft and is from the Casino Prince mare The Love Of Money, who has a trio of Brazilian Group 1 winners in her immediate pedigree.
Jungle Magnate has won two of his seven starts and is a multiple black-type placegetter.
“He is a real winning chance on Saturday. He ran very well in the Hill Smith Stakes and the Vase last year and the Derby just came up a bit soon for him,” Kent Jnr said.
The gelding finished runner-up in the Listed Hill Smith Stakes and third in the Group 2 Moonee Valley Vase and was spelled following the G1 VRC Derby.
“He won fresh-up at a mile at Mornington and was then just a bit vulnerable second-up over a mile at Caulfield where he had to go back in a slowly-run race from a bad draw,” Kent Jnr said.
“I really do believe that over 2000 metres on Saturday you will see a much more forward showing and then again in the Derby.
“He is a beautifully sound and tough gelding and is very clean-winded. He is typical of the Tarzinos and we’ve got seven or eight of them – we really like them.”
The stable also fancies the chances of the stallion’s daughter Tahlequah at Sandown on Saturday.
“She’s a really nice filly and won at her last start at Pakenham nicely,” Kent Jnr said.
Tarzino has enjoyed a good week with the Price and Kent Jnr-trained debutante Natural Mystic successful at Pakenham and Terri Rae’s Dremus was a first-up winner at Timaru while Foreign Raider was a fast-finishing second in the Listed Anzac Day Stakes.
The John Sadler-trained two-year-old had also finished runner-up on debut at Cranbourne last month.
Hawkesbury will be another centre of interest for Westbury with the Gerry Harvey-bred and owned pair of Norwegian Bliss and Queen Bellissimo in action.
By El Roca from the Encosta De Lago mare Ballyalla, the Nathan Doyle-prepared Norwegian Bliss is unbeaten in five appearances and was successful when resuming on the course earlier this month. She will be ridden in her 1300 metre assignment by James McDonald.
Queen Bellissimo is a promising Swiss Ace four-year-old with five wins on the board from nine appearances from Brad Widdup’s stable.
She hasn’t raced since New Year’s Day, but has won both of her lead-up trials in the hands of Alysha Collett, who takes the reins again, to ready her for 1100 metre first-up test.
The Westbury-raised The Frontman will present third-up in the Group 3 Hawkesbury Gold Cup and the G1 New Zealand Derby placegetter should be ready to shine for trainer Chris Waller and rider Brenton Avdulla.
The son of Makfi is a brother to the two-time New Zealand Horse of the Year and three-time Group 1 winner Bonneval.
On the home front, El Roca’s gifted son Wewillrock has unfortunately drawn the outside barrier in the G3 Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes so he’s likely to need a little luck in the early running. Jonathan Riddell will guide his fortunes.
Trained by Guy Lowry and Grant Cullen, he has won two of his five starts and last time out gave a bold account of himself when third in the G3 Almanzor Trophy.
He was purchased out of Westbury’s draft at Karaka for $35,000 by Game Lodge and is out of the Strategic mare Princess Michella, a daughter of the multiple stakes winner Wazawatsyn.
El Roca was also represented by a stylish winner at Happy Valley where the Manfred Man-trained Viva Hunter collected third victory of his career in the hands of Joao Moreira.
Reliable Man has also been to the fore this week with Main Stage's successful at Warwick Farm, Sigourney won at Sale and World Famous furthered his record at Happy Valley while The Cunning Fox was a gallant second in the Listed VRC St Leger.