The thumbs up from Joe Bowditch has Mick Price confident he has I’m Thunderstruck (NZ) (Shocking) in a position that he can be a winning chance in Saturday’s Gr.1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) before peaking for the All-Star Mile.
The Cranbourne trainer called on Bowditch to partner the Golden Eagle winner in a 1200-metre track gallop last Saturday morning, in which he sat off a partner before sweeping past it late, and Price was buoyed by the Group 1-winning rider’s feedback.
“We said to Joe, ‘come down and ride one, we need a rider, we’ll put you on a good one’ and he came back after and said, ‘you told me you’d put me on a good one but I didn’t think it was going to be that good’,” Price, who trains with Michael Kent Jnr, said with a laugh.
“He’s a good judge Joe Bowditch. He said ‘he had a good blow, he recovered quickly and there’s improvement to come’.
“He’ll gallop Tuesday and he’ll run into the money in the Futurity. If he peaks a bit (late), so be it, but then he will be spot on.”
I’m Thunderstruck, who resumed with a fifth placing in the Group 1 C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m) on February 12, was one of 18 nominations for the A$750,000 Futurity Stakes.
Four-time Group One winner Tofane (NZ) (Ocean Park) and Mo’unga (NZ) (Savabeel) are his likely main dangers, while Coastwatch (Fastnet Rock), Extreme Flight (Extreme Choice), Lightsaber (Zoustar), Mr Mozart (Snitzel) and Ranch Hand (Fastnet Rock) add a three-year-old element to the entries.
The Futurity Stakes will be I’m Thunderstruck’s final start before the A$5 million All-Star Mile (1600m) on March 19, for which the son of Shocking the TAB’s $5 second favourite behind Zaaki (Leroidesanimaux) ($4).
