Imported stayer Kesampour is a chance to make his Australian racing debut in the Listed Slickpix Stakes (1700m) at Caulfield on August 31.
Kesampour was nominated to take part in the P.B. Lawrence Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield last Saturday but trainer Peter Moody chose not to accept and said last week that the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on September 7 was a potential starting point for the four-year-old.
Moody has reassessed his plans for the Caulfield Cup hopeful and is now considering giving the son of King’s Best a easier start to his spring campaign in the race formally known as the Heatherlie Handicap.
“I’m actually tossing up whether I kick him off in the 1700 or wait for the Makybe, I’m not too sure,” Moody told Racing Victoria.
“He’s ready to go, I’ll just see how the handicapper treats him in the 1700 Listed race next week.
“I might kick him off there.”
Kesampour was purchased by Graham and Linda Huddy, who own a large number of quality horses including five-time Group 1 winner Shoot Out, after he finished thirteenth in the 2012 Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (2414m).
The French Group 2 winner generally competed between 2000 and 2400 metres in Europe but Moody has shown in the past that he is capable of injecting speed into imported stayers and turning them into genuine weight-for-age contenders – most famously converting Manighar from a dour European stayer into a Group 1 winner over 2000 metres in Australia.
The lightly-raced gelding has been nominated for both the Caulfield Cup (2400m) and Cox Plate (2040m) but he will need to win a lead-up race in Australia to qualify for either race.
The Slickpix Stakes is set to be a battle of the European imports with Mick Price-trained duo Pakal and Bit Of Hell on track to contest the race.