LET'S ROCK AND ROLL
Flemington trainer Danny O’Brien knows he has the right method to get a three-year-old to the Caulfield Guineas.
But smart colt Let’srollthedice needs to measure up to each challenge to earn a crack at the $3m Caulfield Guineas in October.
O’Brien will start Let’srollthedice’s Caulfield Guineas bid in Saturday’s Listed McKenzie Stakes (1200m) at The Valley, which will be the first of three planned lead-up races to the stallion-making event.
“This was always the race we were going to kick him off,” O’Brien said.
“He’ll go to Flemington second-up for a 1400m race there on Makybe Diva Stakes day before possibly going back to Moonee Valley for the Stutt Stakes.
“We hope he does enough in those races to justify running in the Caulfield Guineas.”
O’Brien has set Let’srollthedice the same program that Shamus Award followed to the Caulfield Guineas in 2013.
Shamus Award progressed to run third to Long John in that year’s Caulfield Guineas before surprising punters by breaking his maiden in the Cox Plate at his next outing.
O’Brien said he had not decided whether Let’srollthedice would race over further than 1600m this time in.
The trainer entered Let’srollthedice for the Cox Plate to avoid paying a hefty late entry fee for the $5m race if the three-year-old exceeded all expectations.
“We’re not sure whether we’ll stretch him beyond the mile or 2000m this spring,” O’Brien said.
“But we’ll keep an open mind with that and see what happens.”
There is one key difference between Let’srollthedice and Shamus Award.
Let’srollthedice won twice as a two-year-old, claiming the Group 2 VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) at his second start following a debut win in a Bendigo maiden.
O’Brien raced the Dundeel colt in Sydney during the latter part of the autumn.
Let’srollthedice ran third in the Group 1 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes and fourth in the Group 1 Champagne Stakes before a spell.
“He had the little trip up to Sydney after he won the Sires’ and he ran well both times up there,” O’Brien said. “He had a break throughout the winter and he looked really good. He’s come back very well.”
O’Brien said Let’srollthedice tuned up for his return to racing with two jumpouts.
“The last one was down the straight on the Monday before last and I thought he trialled particularly well,” he said.
Jockey Damian Lane will continue his partnership with Let’srollthedice in the McKenzie Stakes.
Story by Brad Waters, for Herald Sun