Price Stars To Stay Apart

Trainer Mick Price's star 3-year-old sprinters Flying Artie (Aus) (Artie Schiller) and Extreme Choice (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}) are set to be kept apart–at least for their seasonal debuts, the conditioner told Racing.com after the colts trialled separately at Cranbourne on Tuesday.

Flying Artie, who was placed in the G1 Blue Diamond S. and the G1 Golden Slipper as a 2-year-old and won last season's G1 Coolmore Stud S., will take in the G1 Lightning S. on Feb. 18 followed by the G1 Newmarket H. on Mar. 11. Extreme Choice, the Blue Diamond winner who added last season's G1 Moir S., will open his season in the Feb. 25 G1 Oakleigh Plate with plans fluid after that. He could join Flying Artie in the Newmarket or wait for the Mar. 24 G1 William Reid S. back at the scene of his Moir triumph at Moonee Valley.

Flying Artie was second to smart mare Heatherly (Aus) (Lonhro {Aus}) in an 800-metre trial on Tuesday.

Flying Artie pulled his way up to be joint leader on the inside with Heatherly on his heels, and the mare passed Flying Artie in deep stretch with neither asked a question. Price told Racing.com after, “He's had a good day out. He's a bit sparked up by being out here, which was the plan. [The] time was good, horse is good, he had a bit of a blow. They're only trials, so he's not getting dug out in a trial.”

“We've got two more [trial] opportunities with him fitness-wise: this Saturday and next Tuesday before the Lightning,” Price added. “I'm pretty happy with him; he's had a beautiful prep and he's going well.”

Extreme Choice was shaken up out of the barriers in his trial and led gate-to-wire, with So Si Bon (Aus) (So You Think {NZ}) making a late charge on him to narrow the margin at the line. Price remarked, “Against those horses, there was not much competition speed-wise. [Rider Craig Newitt] said he had pricked ears, he was in front for that long, and eased up before the post. He's pretty fit, and he's a clean-winded horse–first-up in the Oakleigh Plate, you'd want to be. Most of the others who run in it will run somewhere else [first].”