His clients, Ken and Bruce Noble, were standing right next to him and they had the paddle in their hands.

So as bidding for the Headwater filly progressed, her value soared well above $80,000. Price was ready to concede defeat, but the brothers kept pushing, desperate to land the yearling.

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The Gerringong twins knew she was the one from the moment they set eyes on her and they eventually got their horse for $130,000.

It proved a wise investment, Jamaea registering more than $885,000 in prize money and preparing for the biggest race of her young career on Saturday, the Group 1 Golden Rose.

"She was easy to fall in love with straight away," Robert Price said. "She was an outstanding jet-black filly, a magnificent animal.

"The boys are very careful with their money but they had their heart set on her. I had a limit in my mind, but they had their limit, they were keen to get her and touché to the boys."

Saturday's race marks the next step in Robert and Luke Price's quest to compete with the sport's top trainers.

It's a journey that has seen the father and son duo steadily build up their stable by purchasing and nurturing yearlings.

The Nobles have been along for the ride, their relationship with the Prices going back more than 30 years.

A former bricklayer, Robert worked alongside Bruce, a builder, and Ken, a plumber, prior to entering the racing game.

Since the transition, they have been among his biggest backers.

"Bruce and I have been going to the sales for years and now Ken comes along as well," Robert said.

"Buying a yearling is like buying a car. It's a personal decision, some appeal to me but not to you, otherwise everyone is bidding on the same horse.

"You've got to envisage what the finished product will be. Some horses don't change and some change for the worst. It's important they look like they're going to stay sound. You can't always get that right, mother nature can turn on you.

"We've had 20 years of practice so I think we've been getting better at it. If we didn't we'd be hitting our heads against a brick wall."

Recent results indicate they have become astute buyers of horses.

The stable has had considerable success in a process often compared to finding a needle in a haystack.

Count De Rupee, a $145,000 yearling, is a three-time metropolitan Saturday winner and has already registered $268,000 in prize money.

The Prices are aiming high for the spring, hoping to get the gelding into the $7.5 million Golden Eagle before returning home for the $1 million The Gong.

Verbek is also stakes placed and while still a maiden, the co-trainers are confident a black-type victory is not far away.

The stable opened the chequebook again this year, spending $80,000 on a Pierro filly and $85,000 on a Hellbent filly.

They also purchased an Invader colt for $100,000 at the Melbourne Inglis sales, while a $45,000 All Too Hard gelding is showing early promise as a two-year-old.

Luke Price is largely in charge of turning the yearlings into competitive racehorses, working closely with stable apprentices Brock Ryan, Madi Waters and Cameron Dignam to educate the young runners.

It wasn't immediately clear Jamaea was a Group 1 horse, but he knew he had something special on his hands if nurtured the right way.

"I didn't think straight away she'd be this good, but we don't usually pay $130,000 for a horse," Price said. "She's a neat filly and the first time I galloped her I liked her.

"She's a natural runner, a good mover and has a massive stride on her, I loved that on her. She's had a lot of hurdles to get past and she's cleared all of them. She's still clearing them, I think she can get even better."

Ryan has been rewarded for his work with the stable by earning the ride on Jamaea on Saturday.

The opportunity arose after Tommy Berry was handed a 17-meeting suspension, the apprentice producing a stunning showing to guide the filly to victory in her last start, the Group 2 Furious Stakes.

Ryan only receives limited opportunities to ride Jamaea in work, Luke Price preferring to take control of her gallops himself.

The apprentice did, however, jump on board the filly soon after she arrived at the stable and her promise was immediately evident.

"The first time I rode her I jumped her out at Nowra," Ryan said. "I said to Rob and Luke she could be a Golden Slipper horse.

"She just gives you that feel, she's a really good horse with natural ability. She did get a start in the Golden Slipper, but they didn't opt to go that way."

The decision to bypass the Golden Slipper has proved a smart one.

Now, six months later, Jamaea's chance to fulfil her Group 1 potential has arrived.

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