Globe Kent’s hope of hometown Cranbourne Cup success

Globe will be Michael Kent Jnr’s hope of joining his father on his hometown Cup honour roll.

The six-year-old is one of 41 entries for this Saturday’s $500,000 Listed Cranbourne Cup (1600m).

Mick Price has won the Cranbourne Cup twice, with Pakal and Octabello, but not since entering into a training partnership with Kent and relocating to Cranbourne just under three years ago.

Kent had a connection with Cranbourne long before then, however, with his father a long-time resident of the Cranbourne training complex and the producer of the 2010 Cranbourne Cup quinella, Starmon and My Bently.

Price and Kent Jnr finished third in the 2022 Cranbourne Cup with Visinari and second with Our Playboy the year prior and the young horseman would consider it particularly sweet to win his first with Globe, who started favourite in last year’s Group 2 Feehan Stakes at his fifth start.

The son of Charm Spirit has undergone some issues since then, but has run fourth and second at two runs this time in Kent is thrilled with his condition.

“There was definitely a point where Mick and I weren’t sure if we’d ever get him back,” Kent said.

“He’s never looked better. He’s in a good head space, he’s a high-nervous-energy horse, but he’s really happy and in the groove at the moment.”

Globe emerged from the Feehan Stakes, in which he ran last, with a heart irregularity and was spelled and had just one run last campaign – a fourth placing in the Group 3 Victoria Handicap (1400m).

He resumed with a fourth placing in the frantically-run Group 3 Moonga Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on October 19 before beating home all-bar new Group 1 Railway Stakes favourite Light Infantry Man in the Listed Chester Manifold Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on November 9.

“He’s got that go-forward style, you can’t change it, and he faced a lot of pressure first-up when Buffalo River took him on at the half-mile,” Kent said.

“Second-up Jigsaw took him on and they went quick and the race was put on for Light Infantry Man, who’s a very good horse.

“I feel like he’s building to something.”

Among Globe’s potential rivals at Cranbourne are Memsie Stakes winner Pinstriped, last Saturday’s Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes placegetter Steparty, past winner Uncle Bryn, Caulfield Guineas winner Griff and his Ciaron Maher-trained stablemates Nugget and Detonator Jack.