Mick Price can significantly strengthen his Swettenham Stud Summer Championship hand this Saturday at Caulfield.Two $80,000 heats of the lucrative series, which culminates with a $100,000 final and offers a $12,500 service to Master of Design to the series winner, are among the highlights on the eight-race card and the Caulfield horseman has leading contenders in both.Al Aneed is Price's representative in the 1400-metre qualifier for the 0-82 performers, while he has Fast And Free in the 1600m 0
Mick Price can significantly strengthen his Swettenham Stud Summer Championship hand this Saturday at Caulfield.
Two $80,000 heats of the lucrative series, which culminates with a $100,000 final and offers a $12,500 service to Master of Design to the series winner, are among the highlights on the eight-race card and the Caulfield horseman has leading contenders in both.
Al Aneed is Price's representative in the 1400-metre qualifier for the 0-82 performers, while he has Fast And Free in the 1600m 0-89 heat.
The latter, who has missed a place just once in nine starts, will be chasing back-to-back Saturday city wins following a comfortable win at Flemington on 22 December.
The four-year-old son of Fastnet Rock will start from barrier seven in the event that also includes the capable Bigelow (barrier eight), Peter Moody's Dayita (five), the Danny O'Brien-trained The New Boy (one) and the emerging Speckie (three).
Fast And Free will be ridden by white hot hoop Craig Newitt, who also has the job aboard Al Aneed.
The three-year-old son of More Than Ready, A Listed winner in three-year-old company over Spring, rises in trip after finishing second over 1200m at Flemington two Saturday's ago and has drawn gate seven in the 10-horse field.
Among his rivals is the Clinton McDonald-trained Finishing Card, who is one of four joint leaders in the series that offers points on a sliding scale from 10 down to one following his heat success at Caulfield on Boxing Day.
Finishing Card (barrier three) shares the 60kg top weight with Listed Port Adelaide Guineas winner Cornell (one) and dual Group 2 runner-up Flashy Fella (10), while Mark Kavanagh-trained talent Khalifa (six) is also engaged.
The Swettenham Stud Summer Championship heats are just two of the highlights on a program headlined by the inaugural Ian Miller VOBIS Gold Carat.
The $150,000 event, to be run over 1000m, is the first of five races introduced this season restricted to VOBIS Gold eligible youngsters and six horses will contest the event that also carries $30,000 in Super VOBIS bonuses.
Colin and Cindy Alderson's Devil Woman is the only runner in the race to have started, finishing third behind Magic Millions favourite Clevadude on debut.
David Hayes will unveil Fastnet Rock filly Upside Rock, Peter Moody has Bel Esprit filly Diamond Glow engaged, VOBIS specialist Robbie Griffiths will be represented by Shogun Star (by Written Tycoon), while the David Brideoake and David Feek-prepared Self Sense (Street Sense) and Russell Cameron's A Single Tear (Not a Single Doubt) round out the field.
The other highlight on the card is a quality $100,000 Mal Seccull Handicap (1000m), which is headed by track lover First Command and includes classy former South Australian Go The Knuckle, last year's Standish Handicap runner-up Rocking Force and last start Listed winner It's Crunch Time.