Expectations will be running high when well-bred colt Coubertin makes his race debut at Ballarat on Thursday.The Tony Vasil-trained colt is by Redoute's Choice from Circles Of Gold and has much to live up to being very closely related to dual hemisphere Group One winners Elvstroem and Haradasun.Coubertin, who is named after modern Olympics founder Pierre de Coubertin, has drawn barrier 14 in the Ballarat Associated Plasters Maiden Plate (1200m) which has attracted a capacity field of 16 and four

Expectations will be running high when well-bred colt Coubertin makes his race debut at Ballarat on Thursday.

The Tony Vasil-trained colt is by Redoute's Choice from Circles Of Gold and has much to live up to being very closely related to dual hemisphere Group One winners Elvstroem and Haradasun.

Coubertin, who is named after modern Olympics founder Pierre de Coubertin, has drawn barrier 14 in the Ballarat Associated Plasters Maiden Plate (1200m) which has attracted a capacity field of 16 and four emergencies.

Owner and breeder Frank Tagg is hopeful more than confident that Coubertin can win his first start, noting that he was more in the mould of a stayer and hadn't shown the same turn of foot as his well-performed siblings.

He also makes his debut much later than Elvstroem and Haradasun who both launched their careers with wins as two-year-olds at Swan Hill's three-day meeting in June.

"This guy is a lot more immature than those fellas and he's taken a lot longer to come to hand as far as being ready for a race start," Tagg told Radio TAB.

"He's won a trial fairly confidently and we took him to Ballarat last Tuesday for a jumpout against older horses and he won by two or three lengths.

"Each time he's had a trial or a jumpout he's improved and learnt from it and this will be a learning experience for him as well.

"Obviously we'd love it if he could go out and win but his main aim is getting through the race safely and getting used to race conditions."

Tagg said Coubertin had been a huge foal and given his slow-maturing nature he was being aimed at next year's AJC Australian Derby.

Elvstroem won five Group One races, including the 2004 Caulfield Cup and 2005 Dubai Duty Free Stakes, and $5.7 million in stakes while Haradasun earned $2.3 million with three Group One wins featuring a Doncaster Handicap and Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Tagg also has another younger brother by Redoute's Choice named Altius who is a yearling still at Coolmore Stud and will join Vasil next year.

Circles Of Gold has also just had a Fusaichi Pegasus foal, making the colt a full-brother to Haradasun.