Price plots Ayrton Spring Carnival
The Co-trainers took I’m Thunderstruck to Group One glory in the Toorak Handicap at Caulfield when using the Sir Rupert Clarke as the lead up race and will now look to follow the same path with Ayrton.
“He’s going to run first-up in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes I think,” Price said.
“I think a mile handicap is good for him and I think the ideal race for him is the Toorak Handicap.”
Ayrton has shown an immense amount of talent winning 6 of his 10 starts to date. However the stable feel like there is more to give having not registered a win past Group 3 level and becoming unstuck on a heavy track in the Group 2 Hollindale Stakes in May.
Price is now looking to the Victorian Spring and a hope of dry tracks for Ayrton to demonstrate his full potential and build on his Gunsynd Classic win last year.
“I wanted to get him to 2000m but he doesn’t handle bad ground and he didn’t handle the Hollindale bad ground,” Price said.
Price is looking to the same distance on which Ayrton claimed his Gunsynd Classic win with the trainer believing his best chance to win a race would be over the optimum 1600m trip.
“A fast 1400m catches him a little bit short but a mile will be beautiful,” Price said.
“He needs to get a program to help him. The Toorak will be good.
“If we make our mind up that he’s not going to stay, then we play around with him and get him to the Champions Mile at Flemington on the last day.”
Aytron currently sits as an $8 chance for both the Sir Rupert Clarke and Toorak Handicap in early betting.