Count De Rupee and Jamaea have broken plenty of new ground for Robert and Luke Price over the past year.
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From a victory in the Percy Sykes Stakes, to a second in the Golden Eagle and a stunning triumph in The Gong, the two horses have led the stable through a stunning run of success.
On Saturday, the pair will achieve another first, with Count De Rupee and Jamaea to line up as rivals in the Group 2 Victory Stakes at Eagle Farm.
It's a situation the trainers would have preferred to avoid and the decision to head north was only made at the last minute.
With Sydney's big wet continuing for another week, it became clear Queensland was their only hope of racing on a dry track.
"We've never had two horses in a Group race before," Robert Price said. "We're lucky to get one in there with the small team that we've got.
"When we saw the way Jamaea was handicapped in different races and the state of the tracks, we were herded into this situation."
Brock Ryan has been booked to ride Count De Rupee, with Kerrin McEvoy jumping on board Jamaea.
The Price pair will take their place in a high-quality Victory Stakes field headlined by Rob Heathcote's $2.40 favourite Rothfire.
Count De Rupee was second last start in the Hall Mark Stakes and is a $5.50 chance, with Jamaea at $19.
Should the trip north prove successful, it is likely the pair will return to Queensland later in the Brisbane carnival.
Saturday's race shapes as a prelude to the Doomben 10,000 for Count De Rupee.
For Jamaea, the Stradbroke looms as an option, along with the Kingsford-Smith Cup and the Tatts Tiara.
While the Prices have a rough path forward, they will wait until after this weekend before plans are finalised.
"It's a good field, there's half a dozen that are dangers," Robert said. "Stakes horses are always hard to beat, but we've got a couple in there at that level.
"We have options but we want to get through Saturday first. The way the weather is, you need to have a crystal ball. We're mindful of the weather up there. If Doomben falls to the pits, we'll bring them home."
The Prices will still have a presence at Hawkesbury's stand-alone meeting, with Our Bellagio Miss tipped to relish the wet track in the Listed Gold Rush.
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