Saturday’s $200,000 Vain Stakes is likely to determine whether valuable colt Cannonball heads towards the race connections bought him with the dream of winning.
Anthony Freedman is using the 1100-metre Group 3 and a potential clash with the likes of Semillion, Alpha One, Giga Kick and Millane to determine whether the spring’s sprinting Grand Final for three-year-olds – the $2 million Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) – is a realistic target.
The son of Capitalist, who carries the same James Harron Bloodstock colours that his Golden Slipper-winning father sported, had a soft 800-metre jumpout at Flemington on Monday morning, which has him ready to resume.
“He had a very easy jumpout, so he’ll go to the 1100 at Caulfield and then we’ll work out a plan after that,” Freedman said.
“He’s obviously a short-course horse and there’s not a lot for those horses unless they make it through to the Coolmore.
“Whether it’s a Blue Sapphire (we go to), run in that sort of race and then you might take your chances in the Coolmore if your form warranted it.”
The $200,000 Group 3 Blue Sapphire Stakes (1200m) is at Caulfield on October 12 with the Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington 17 days later.
Cannonball, who is out of the Merson Cooper Stakes winner Golconda (Snitzel), which makes him a brother to Group 2 Rubiton Stakes winner Marine One, cost $975,000 at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
He hasn’t started since winning the Listed Redoute’s Choice Stakes (1100m) on April 9, which followed a dominant Geelong maiden win. His only other starts were a one-length fourth placing in the $1 million Golden Gift (1100m) and a fifth in the Listed Maribyrnong Trial Stakes (1000m).
Cannonball is one of three colts owned by Harron and partners entered for the Vain but the only one likely to run with Eros and Latvian set to be directed towards easier options.