A crack at the $2 million Gr.1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) looms for The Holy One, a son of Tavistock, after the colt’s frontrunning victory in the Gr.2 Stutt Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley.
The Holy One brought up an early double for the Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young stable on Friday night’s Moir Stakes program after the win of fellow three-year-old colt Baracali in the opening race.
Ridden by Brett Prebble, The Holy One led all the way in the 1600m race to register his first stakes win at his fifth start having previously won at Echuca and Sandown this campaign.
Busuttin believes The Holy One will be even better next autumn but confirmed the plan was to give the colt his chance in the Guineas over the same distance at Caulfield on October 12.
“You’ve just got to have a go at the Caulfield Guineas,” Busuttin said.
“He’ll meet better horses but there’s two million reasons to have a go.
“He’s a colt.
“He’s definitely more of a staying horse on pedigree but if you look at him there’s not much to him and we didn’t want to get him up over ground this time in.”
After kicking clear around the home turn, The Holy One ($9) held on to defeat Vegas Knight by half a length with Conqueror a close third.
Out of the Pentire mare Entirely Saintly, The Holy One was purchased by Busuttin in conjunction with Tim Scales for $160,000 at last year’s New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale from the draft of Kilmore Farm.
“Tavistock, we love him obviously,” Busuttin said. “They just keep winning so we will keep buying them.
“We bought him less than 12 months ago. It was November last year and we’ll have a runner in the Caulfield Guineas in two weeks. It’s a good turn-around.” The Holy One is $26 for the Caulfield Guineas.
