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Secret misson for Australian Guineas

Friday 3 February 2012
Robert Windmill

Secret Hills will be trying to earn an Australian Guineas spot alongside his stablemate Instinction when he kicks off his autumn campaign at Caulfield.

Price said he expected the talented three-year-old to finish top three in Saturday's Listed Manfred Stakes (1200m) but admitted he was unsure he was a genuine miler.

"The Australian Guineas is there for him but he's got to prove he has improved a bit and that he is going to be up there over a mile," Price said.

"I am not sure he gets a good 1600 metres and certainly you can't base anything on his Caulfield Guineas run because he was at the end of his campaign and on the way down."

Price said Instinction was his headline act for Australian Guineas but Secret Hills would get his chance to join him.

"He is there to run well tomorrow and I am sure he will," Price said.

"He has trialled well and I expect he will be in the money."

Secret Hills won his second and third starts over 1000 and 1200 metres in June last year before training on in the spring and finishing a creditable second to Helmet in the Caulfield Guineas Prelude (1400m).

He contested the Guineas at his next start but ran well below his best, fading to finish sixth to Helmet in the eight-horse field.

Price said jump-outs the past two Tuesdays have brought Secret Hills up for his campaign launch.

"It has been a bit of a rush to get him there but he's pretty ready," Price said.

Price said Instinction had already shown he was a better horse than last campaign with the way he won the Listed Zeditave Stakes (1200m) first-up at Caulfield on January 26.

"He's a lovely, big horse with good scope and is full of himself at the moment after the win the other day," Price said.

Instinction is untried at 1600 metres but last spring won over 1479 metres at Kyneton and at his next start took out the Listed Hilton Hotels Stakes (1400m) at Flemington.

"He won at Flemington during Cup week and he will go back there for the Group Three C S Hayes Stakes over 1400 metres on February 18 and then to the Australian Guineas two weeks later," Price said.

Co-trainers Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra also have Australian Guineas hopes for American Dream who is another resuming in the Manfred.

The son of Artie Schiller had two runs in his first race campaign and after winning his Bendigo debut with his jockey riding with one iron, he led and finished third to Adamantium over 1200 metres at Caulfield.

"He's a very nice horse and we took him to Caulfield for the experience last start when really he'd had enough," Zahra said.

"He's come back a really well this time and has trialled well."