Ideal Guide with foreperson Michelle Ritchie. Picture: DAVE TEASE
RANDWICK RACING
Eleven years after Victory Vein took him to the top of the two-year-old training ranks, Bede Murray will unfurl the flagbearer for his latest crop of juveniles in the Breeders' Plate (1000m) on Saturday.
Murray has entered eye-catching trialists Ideal Guide and Jaykay for the two-year-old season starter at Randwick, with the former the only likely runner.
"We're always on the lookout," the South Coast trainer said. "We've got half-a-dozen that aren't broken in yet, but there's a nice few there and I'm very pleased.
"The first few that we've broken in with I'm pretty happy and a few of the others have gone out for a while."
Ever since Victory Vein came within a whisker of completing the two-year-old triple crown, Murray has been searching for a galloper capable of making a mark in autumn.
Ideal Guide, a Red Ransom colt out of Furious Stakes winner Just Dancing, finished within half-a-length of Gai Waterhouse's Mr Jackman in a Randwick trial earlier this month.
Mr Jackman, another nominated for the Breeders' Plate, stretched stablemate War in a subsequent trial.
Dubawi gelding Jaykay went one better in winning a trial at Randwick, but Murray said he was an unlikely starter after showing symptoms of being a "bit shinny".
"They both trialled terrific," Murray said. "They were pretty forward, but I just want to monitor them for the rest of the week before I decide if I'm going to run.
"Possibly Ideal Guide will be the only one that runs. He had a nice gallop [yesterday] morning - I'll just see how he is over the next few days."
Murray said Ideal Guide would be a better racehorse next year.
"He's a very nice horse and he has a lot of scope about him," he said. "He will be a lot better horse as a later two-year-old and as a three-year-old."
Waterhouse's Pierro won the Breeders' Plate last season en route the Golden Slipper-Sires Produce-Champagne Stakes triple crown.