Staying stablemates to kick-off at Caulfield in JRA Plate

Sydney-bound stayers Warmonger and Lastotchka are gearing up for their autumn campaign, with both set to launch their preparations at Caulfield this Saturday.

The duo, trained by Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr, will go head-to-head in the Group 3 JRA Plate (1600m) as they build towards bigger Sydney targets.

Warmonger and Lastotchka are both eyeing the Group 1 Tancred Stakes (2400m) at Rosehill on March 29, followed by the Group 1 Sydney Cup (3200m) at Randwick in April.

The stablemates recently tuned up for their returns with trials at Geelong, sharpening their fitness for the upcoming campaign.

Kent Jnr expressed confidence in Warmonger’s trajectory, noting that skipping the Melbourne Cup last year was the right call for his development. The stayer had extra time to mature following his eighth-place finish in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) in October.

“He will have a Sydney-focused campaign with circles around the Tancred Stakes and the Sydney Cup,” Kent Jnr said.

“He’s only had the one run Sydney way, and that was in the Queensland Derby, which he won by 10-½ lengths, and he seems to go really well that way of going.

“I feel we’ll have a good prep with him.

“It’s never easy when you come out of winter three-year-old races against your own age and then get thrown into the deep end in the spring against open company and international rivals when you’re still an immature four-year-old.

“Now, five months on, he’s really grown and changed.”

Kent Jnr was pleased with Warmonger’s recent Geelong trial over 1200m, saying the run had significantly brought him on ahead of Saturday’s contest.

“The horse is in terrific order, and we’re excited at what the autumn may hold.”

Meanwhile, former French galloper Lastotchka is set for her first Australian start since finishing 13th in the 2023 Melbourne Cup, where she faced top-class competition.

Her spring campaign was derailed by a bout of colic that eventually required surgery, but she appears to have recovered well, finishing third in a 1500m trial at Geelong last week.

“She’ll kick off over a mile, and we’ll get her up in trip pretty quickly and work backwards from the Sydney Cup,” Kent Jnr said.

“I think it’s obvious for her to have a go at a race like that. She loves getting her toe in the ground, although I don’t think she needs it, but she’s a real stayer.”