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By Ray Hickson

Co-trainer Robert Price still has the ‘work in progress’ sign hanging above promising three-year-old Count De Rupee but there's the prospect of loftier goals beyond his assignment at Rosehill on Saturday.

Trainer Robert Price (Pic: Bradley Photos)

A first-up second, and a closing one, behind impressive Wagga Town Plate winner Marway will ensure the gelding attracts plenty of attention in the Les Bridge Handicap (1400m).

Price, who co-trains with son Luke, said Count De Rupee was unfortunate to bump into Marway at Kensington on Anzac Day but there was a case to say he may also have beaten him.

“You can understand Mark (Newnham) not wanting to take on O’Shea’s horse (Lost And Running) on a Saturday so he bounced off that and took us on,’’ Price said.

“The way the race was run got us beat the other day. He gave it a fair shake considering we had nothing to drag us into the race.”

It’s been three weeks since that game performance over 1250m, where Count De Rupee clocked a race best 32.61 (Punter's Intelligence) for his last 600m, and Price said that was ideal for him though he concedes he has a few concerns about 1400m second-up.

Since he last raced, Count De Rupee was nominated for the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap over that distance so he’d need to knock over this Benchmark 78 race to warrant pushing that way.

“I thought 1400m was a bit awkward but the form has stood up with the Town Plate winner running that crazy time,’’ he said.

“But I don’t think Luke’s real concerned and I’m sure Tom (Berry) isn’t concerned. It’s not the fact that I don’t think he will run it but it might knock him around a little bit second-up.

“He’s a lightly framed horse and a real athlete, he wouldn’t be a horse you’d back up.

“We try to space his runs and have a plan, Luke has a plan and I know what it is but I won’t blabber it. We nominated for the Stradbroke the other day so we have something to aim at anyway.

“Every start is important when you are looking at stakes races going forward.”

Count De Rupee, $3.30 favourite with TAB on Thursday, hasn’t yet raced beyond 1300m and in that race he bumped into subsequent Group 2 winner Private Eye on a heavy track.

Price said he’s capable of taking advantage of a favourable draw, and he got one with barrier four, and even if he doesn’t make his way to that Group 1 this season he’s all upside.

“He hasn’t furnished yet but he’s just an athlete,’’ he said.

“He’s happy to take a sit and happy to drop the bridle. He’s very streamlined and has a nice deep girth and is not overweight to go with it, he always looks ready to race even when he’s spelling.”

Count De Rupee runs second at Kensington on April 25

Stablemate Our Bambino put two handy performances together for the first time in his career when he was touched out by Alakahan at Kensington on Anzac Day having broken through at Hawkesbury 11 days earlier.

Alakahan went on to win at the Gold Coast last weekend, giving Price some confidence he could be up to the task in the John Messara Handicap (2000m).

He said the key to Our Bambino, $12 with TAB with Keagan Latham to ride, producing his best is relaxing in the run which he’s done at his past couple.

“The day Rachel (King) rode him at Hawkesbury he dropped the bridle and you need to see a loop in the rein midrace in a stayer,’’ he said.

“It’s an awkward time to spell them and he might furnish into a Saturday stayer but at the moment he’s probably not there yet.

“It’s the right time of the year to try it. He can run a sectional provided he drops the bridle, Tommy rode him a treat the other day but we just got outplugged late.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday's Rosehill meeting