Australian Guineas winner Heart Of Dreams will join a star studded field in the Phar Lap Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday after trainer Mick Price opted not to run him in the Randwick Guineas.Price decided to dodge the Group One Randwick Guineas with the thinking that most of the best three-year-olds would be in the 1600m feature."I suppose I should have had my wits about me and just put him on the float and sent him to Sydney," Price said."But I wasn't sure about the trip and the one-week back-up
Australian Guineas winner Heart Of Dreams will join a star studded field in the Phar Lap Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday after trainer Mick Price opted not to run him in the Randwick Guineas.
Price decided to dodge the Group One Randwick Guineas with the thinking that most of the best three-year-olds would be in the 1600m feature.
"I suppose I should have had my wits about me and just put him on the float and sent him to Sydney," Price said.
"But I wasn't sure about the trip and the one-week back-up, although the Randwick Guineas was a $500,000 race whereas the Phar Lap is $150,000."
Heart Of Dreams scored a strong 1-1/2 length victory over Von Costa De Hero and Lucky Thunder in the Group One Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington on March 7.
The Danny O'Brien-trained Lucky Thunder backed up to finish 12th in Saturday's Randwick Guineas won by Metal Bender from Rock Kingdom and Caymans.
Caulfield Guineas winner Whobegotyou, who kicked off a belated autumn campaign with a short-half-head second on March 7 over 1400 metres at Flemington to older galloper Rockpecker, giving away four kilos, will also run in the Phar Lap.
Von Costa De Hero will also run in the Group Two 1500m event after the foot abscess he had after the Guineas burst.
"I've always wanted to take him interstate and if he wins the Phar Lap I'd imagine he'd be a George Ryder, Doncaster sort of horse," Price said of Heart Of Dreams.
"I've mollycoddled him so he can do a bit of toughening up work."
The $400,000 Ryder (1500m) is at Rosehill on April 4, while the $2 million Doncaster Mile (1600m) is at Randwick on April 18.
Heart Of Dreams has 51kg in the Doncaster.
Another Melbourne galloper heading towards the Ryder and the Doncaster is Turnbull Stakes winner Littorio.
"He'll have a light autumn before coming back for the spring," trainer Nigel Blackiston said.
"I'll trial him and then he'll head up to Sydney three or four days before the Ryder.
"His first two runs last autumn were very good behind Weekend Hussler.
"He's an extremely clean-winded horse who comes to hand quite nicely."
Littorio who hasn't raced since finishing 13th behind Viewed in the Melbourne Cup last spring.
Blackiston said with 55.5kg, Littorio was not well weighted in the Doncaster.
"Considering he's won only two races and a horse such as Alamosa has only half a kilo more than him and he's won four Group One races," he said.