By Ray Hickson
The form around Golden Path tells co-trainer Michael Kent Jnr that Saturday’s Group 2 $2 million Toyota Forklifts Hill Stakes (1900m) at Rosehill is well within his reach.
In fact he’s confident he and co-trainer Mick Price have one of the horses to beat.
The five-year-old came off a six week break and finished a two lengths third in the Group 3 Kingston Town Stakes (2000m) on September 21 – a race that has since produced Group 1 results in two states last weekend.
“It’s one of the best form races this year,’’ Kent Jnr said on SEN.
“He was third behind Eliyass and Ceolwulf, and they’ve both gone on to do good things in Group 1s, and the Metrop quinella was behind him.
“Zardozi and Land Legend were in fifth and sixth so that’s a hot form race.”
Golden Path, $6 with TAB on Thursday, has been aimed specifically at the Hill Stakes following his win in the Premier’s Cup Prelude in August.
The gelding has been something of a revelation since he was sent to Sydney earlier this year, his five starts have yielded three wins and that last start third underlines how far he's come.
Golden Path runs third in the Kingston Town
Kent Jnr said he can only be better for having the run in the Kingston Town three weeks ago and has been encouraged by jockey Chad Schofield’s comments in the lead up to this race.
“He’s come out of it beautifully and he’s been set to peak on Saturday,’’ he said.
“It’s a nice race for him, we know he’ll get the trip strongly and Chad Schofield said during the week it’s the best he’s galloped all preparation.
“We’re very happy with him and what a lovely race to win it would be.”
When it’s come to target races, the barrier gods haven’t helped out Golden Path’s stablemate Amenable and that’s again the case in the $1.5 million Alan Brown Stakes (1400m).
Amenable drew 22 in the original field, that will come down to around 17 after scratchings, and it continues a run of bad luck as he drew 13 of 13 in his Group 1 All Aged Stakes second and 13 of 18 before running fifth in the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap last season.
He finished midfield when resuming since the winter in the Bill Ritchie at Randwick three weeks ago and while Kent Jnr concedes the gate makes it tough he says the horse is “low flying”.
“He can’t take a trick sometimes this horse, he’s drawn the far outside barrier so we will have to ride him back for luck,’’ he said.
“If the race shape works and he’s not too far off them, they go along and he can get into the race he’ll be flying home but it does make it somewhat more difficult.”
All the fields, form and replays for Saturday’s Rosehill meeting