Blue Diamond winner Little Brose (Per Incanto) will push on to the Caulfield Guineas and look to become the first horse since Redoute’s Choice 24 years ago to complete the double.
The son of Per Incanto stretched out to 1400 metres at his most recent start in the Caulfield Guineas Prelude but missed the start with blinkers on for the first time.
Little Brose returned with a fourth placing in the Vain Stakes and closed well over 1200m in the McNeil Stakes second-up.
“He’s just had bad luck,” co-trainer Ben Hayes explained.
“He has drawn wide gates and got disconnected the other day and had to do a lot of work to get into the race and held his ground and didn’t lose ground or weakened.
“I think he is improving and he is being punished for being a Group 1 winner carrying more weight than the other horses and now he gets to meet them on level weights.
“He does need to show improvement to win a Caulfield Guineas, it’s a very strong race this year but we haven’t lost faith in him.”
Hayes, who trains the grey colt in partnership with his brothers JD and Will, said they will leave the blinkers on.
“We’ve kept him in Melbourne to change things up and if he draws an inside draw in the Caulfield Guineas and can settle in that nice midfield position, you will see a different horse,” he said.
Little Brose is a $34 chance with Sportsbet for the Caulfield Guineas on October 14.
