Blind Raise impresses in Prelude, eyeing Caulfield Guineas

The three-year-old colt, Blind Raise, has firmed into the second favourite for the prestigious Caulfield Guineas following a commanding performance in a lead-up event at Caulfield.

Prepared by the training partnership of Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young, Blind Raise faced early challenges in the Group 3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude (1400m) on Saturday. It then successfully repelled a mid-race challenge before crossing the line with ease.

Under jockey Blake Shinn, Blind Raise started as the $2.40 favourite and recorded a decisive 2-¾ length victory over Tornado Valley ($19). American Eagle ($5) finished a short-head behind in third place.

The win saw Blind Raise's odds for the Caulfield Guineas (1600m) on October 10 shorten dramatically from $11 to $4, positioning the colt behind Tron Bolt ($3.50) in the betting market.

Shinn conveyed that Saturday's triumph was a significant statement with the main Guineas event still three weeks away.

"He's an exceptional horse," Shinn declared. "I'm just delighted to get a win for Trent and Natalie. They're great judges of horses. It didn't work for the horse in the winter when they took him to Queensland and they've come back and he's just got a real aura about him. We've got three weeks into the Guineas, and he was off a two-week backup into today off one trial into his first-up run. I'm pleased he's got three weeks into the Guineas. Trent can do what he likes with him and it's exciting."

Busuttin highlighted that Blind Raise was a vastly improved specimen for Saturday's race compared to his first-up win at Sandown on September 5.

"He's improved a hell of a lot," Busuttin commented. "He's such a relaxed, calm horse, and first-up off the back of one trial when at Sandown, he was sweating, he was jig-jogging, he was up-and-about, but today he was asleep and I knew it was game on."

Blind Raise was required to dig deep, working hard up the track from the 1400m starting point, before settling just off the pace-setting Alchemistic.

Later, Ethan Brown, riding Wolf Gap, made a move approaching the turn to inject pressure into the contest.

"He's a horse with a good turn of foot," Busuttin affirmed. "When they whipped around and Blake was still sitting pretty on him, I was pretty happy. He will go into the Guineas without another run. It was a two-week turnaround without a break and it's three weeks to the Guineas and then another two weeks … to the Cox Plate."

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