Blueblood Guineas Winner to Spell

Tara Madgwick - Monday March 5
With four wins from five starts, Group I VRC Australian Guineas winner Grunt is one of the brightest prospects in Australian racing, but we will be waiting now until the spring to see him race again.

Grunt - Grant CourtneyHis trainer Mick Price has confirmed there will be no Sydney campaign for Grunt who will head to the spelling paddock.

"He's a little bit active in both fetlocks after the run so he's going to the paddock," Price told Racenet.

"He's a young horse, one hundred percent sound and we're happy with him but I've been playing around with him for six months and it was mission accomplished on Saturday.

"He can have a nice break up at Rockmount and spell there.

"He pulled up good and I probably could keep going with him but I'm always thinking to look after him for the future."

Price is aiming high with the son of O'Reilly, which raced for just the fifth time on Saturday.

"If I had to circle a race I'd love to win it would be the Cox Plate," Price said. "He's got all the options in front of him but I thought Saturday was a really powerful win and 2000 metres will be no problem for him, I don't think 2400m will be a problem.

"I feel I've played around with a young horse, we're trying to make him a stallion and he'll be a better horse when he's older - at the moment he's not furnished.

"He's an intelligent horse, great temperament, quiet and well mannered, he's a dream to train."

Grunt is closely related to five time Group I winner Ocean Park, who won the Cox Plate in 2012 and has an intriguing pedigree as he is line bred to blue hen Hunza, the dam of five stakes-winners headed by Golden Slipper winner Courtza and two time Adelaide Cup winner Our Pompeii.

Both his sire O'Reilly and his dam Ruqqaya descend directly from Hunza.

Trelawney Stud bred and sold Grunt at the 2016 NZB Premier Yearling Sale for $220,000 and will offer his half-sister by Savabeel at the 2018 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale as Lot 337.


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