Brilliant three year old Extreme Choice has drawn midfield in the capacity field for the Group 1 $500,000 The Resimax Group Oakleigh Plate (1100m) at Caulfield on Saturday.
Extreme Choice, above in red and yellow colours winning the Moir Stakes, takes on the older horses again in the Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
The Mick Price trained Extreme Choice will jump from barrier nine in the eighteen horse field with regular rider Craig Newitt in the saddle again
Extreme Choice will have no trouble handling the tight Caulfield track and as well as being trained there, is undefeated at his only two runs on the course during his two year old season with wins in the Group 3 $150,000 Chairman’s Stakes (1000m) and the Group 1 $1.5m Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) during the 2016 Melbourne Autumn Carnival.
The Not A Single Doubt colt is one of five three-year-olds lining up against the older horses in the Oakleigh Plate but Extreme Choice has proven in that past that he can beat the older sprinters with his win in the Group 1 $500,000 Charter Keck Cramer Moir Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley during the 2016 Melbourne Spring Carnival.
Price is happy with the way that Extreme Choice is shaping up for his first up run in the Oakleigh Plate and can’t fault his condition.
“He is going super. Can’t fault anything he has done,” Price told Moody On The Mic.
“Had a solid gallop here Saturday morning. C Newitt rode him here this morning (Tuesday).”
“Had a good gallop so he is first up but he goes into the Oakleigh Plate pretty spot on.”
Canberra sprinter Fell Swoop was placed twice at Group 1 level at his last two runs during the 2016 Spring Carnival with a second in the Group 1 $1m Manikato Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley and a third in the Group 1 $1m Darley Classic (1200m) at Flemington.
Damien Olivier takes over the reins from Hugh Bowman on Fell Swoop who has drawn next to Extreme Choice at barrier eight.
Last year’s winner and top weight Flamberge should get a nice run from barrier six with Brad Rawiller in the saddle.
As well as Flamberge, premiership winning trained Darren Weir will also saddle up Thermal Current (barrier 11), Hellbent (barrier 13) and three year old El Divino (barrier 2).
The Mark Kavanagh trained Wild Rain with Stephen Baster to ride has drawn the rails while I Am A Star (Craig Williams), barrier seventeen and Ocean Embers (Jason Benbow), barrier eighteen, will be the two widest runners.
Black Caviar Lightning late scratching Faatinah is one of three runners the Lindsay Park Team of David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig will have in the Oakleigh Plate.
Faatinah escaped uninjured when he was involved in a barrier incident before the start of the Group 1 $750,000 Black Caviar Lightning (1000m) at Flemington last Saturday which also saw the late withdrawal of The Quarterback and Orujo.
The blinkers goes on Faatinah who has drawn barrier seven while his stablemates Sheidel has drawn in close at three and Miss Promiscuity is out a bit wider at twelve.
