Masculino wins from the front at the Valley

Masculino
Masculino ridden by Jake Noonan wins the Sweeney We Know West Handicap at Moonee Valley. Photo: Racing.com

THREE-YEAR-OLD colt Masculino looks set for a big preparation after taking out Sweeney We Know West Handicap at Moonee Valley.

Making its debut at the Valley, the Mick Price runner set the tempo and fended off all rivals to record a powerful victory and return $5 at Crownbet.com.au.

Eshtiraak ($2.30 at Sportsbet.com.au) extracted itself at the right time to challenge but could not bridge the gap before the post, while Sunquest rounded out the placings but did not deliver a dividend in the smaller field.

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The win allayed fears about both Masculino’s ability to win on firmer tracks and at the big-name courses in Melbourne, but in his typically understated style, Price downplayed the eye-catching win.

“I thought he did a good job today,” Price said.

“I know the race was decimated with the scratchings and it suited enough to go to the front.”

“We probably could have done without Sheer Madness softening him up for a furlong mid-race, I thought that might have just impacted on him in the last 100m but he did a good job, because he is second-up with improvement to come and I think he’s a big 1600m horse.

Price said it was good to register a win on firmer ground after two successes on heavy-rated tracks.

“Exactly,” the trainer said when asked if it was important for the colt to win on different surfaces.

“I just think today was a nice race. Next Saturday you’ve got the Danehill (Stakes) and the Exford, which are both going to be really hot three-year-old races, so a $120,000 three-year-old race is fantastic for the owners.”

Price admitted there are no set plans for the horse, instead saying the team will “wait to see what’s on the agenda” for the back-to-back winner.

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