By Paul Symes

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Michael Kent Jnr believes the stars are aligning for a mare “you’d want to go to war with” as Miss Roumbini (Zoustar) looks to translate her astonishing consistency into Group 1 glory in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) at Caulfield this Saturday.

On a day when last-start winner Golden Path (Belardo) also aims for top-level success in the Underwood Stakes (Gr 1, 1800m) and talented three-year-olds Planet Red (Admire Mars) and Space Rider (Zoustar) bid to stamp their tickets to the Caulfield Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m), it is perhaps Miss Roumbini’s Sir Rupert Clarke tilt that has co-trainer Kent Jnr the most enthused as the stable seeks a first victory in the time-honoured handicap contest.

The recent record of mares, who have claimed three of the last four editions of the Sir Rupert Clarke, is another big tick in her favour as is the fact that Miss Roumbini is unbeaten second-up and, with the minimum weight of just 52 kilograms on her back, the five-year-old should glide around Caulfield under Beau Mertens. 

A track record of one win and two stakes placings from her four starts at Caulfield also makes for very happy reading for her ownership group, which is led by the family-run Flying Angels syndicate who enjoyed great success with Miss Roumbini’s former stablemate Wee Nessy (Snitzel) before the mare was retired.   

Having been involved in the great game since he was old enough to hold a stable broom, Kent Jnr is acutely aware that luck can play a major part in big-field handicap races, especially at Caulfield where hard luck stories are a frequent lament for trainers and punters alike.

His heart would therefore have sunk when she was assigned gate 14 of 16, although the well-fancied pair Sepals (Calyx) and Damask Rose (Savabeel) fared even worse at the barrier draw. However, the man affectionately called “Junior” by senior statesman and training partner Mick Price is adamant that, provided Miss Roumbini can find the gaps at the right time, the $13 chance is well capable of becoming her superstar sire’s first winner of the Sir Rupert Clarke.       

“I thought her run in the Cockram was outstanding,” Kent Jnr told ANZ News. 

“She was caught four-wide without cover and looked the winner until the 50-metre mark, when she was gobbled up late by a quality mare who had a much softer run in transit. This has been a target race for her for some time, we think the 1400 metres will be perfect and she’s three from three second-up, so we couldn’t be happier with her. 

“She won’t know herself with 52 kilos on her back, so I think the stars are aligning for her to run a really big race on Saturday. As always with these big handicaps you need a bit of luck on your side, but she’s absolutely flying and her consistency is unbelievable. 

“She’s just one of those mares you’d want to go to war with, she pins her ears back every time and tries her heart out. We love training her and I think she’s still progressive, even though she’s a five-year-old mare she’s still lightly-raced so I don’t think we’ve seen the best of her yet.”        

A $550,000 purchase from the Yulong draft at the 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale purchase, Miss Roumbini’s pair of stakes placings and her residual value as a daughter of Zoustar (Northern Meteor) would already make her a seven-figure commodity as a broodmare prospect. 

However, should she bounce out of her mighty effort behind Magic Time (Hellbent) in the Cockram Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) and go one better in Saturday’s $1 million feature, her worth would inevitably skyrocket.   

She was the first foal out of the Fastnet Rock (Danehill) mare Bleu Roche, who won one stakes race for trainer Matt Laurie before injury curtailed her career and she was subsequently bought by Yulong for $600,000 at the 2019 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.

Shrewd shopping isn’t necessarily Yulong’s modus operandi, but their acquisition of Bleu Roche would undoubtedly fall into the canny category. The three foals she has produced so far have fetched a combined $1.335 million at the sales, and her filly by Alabama Express (Redoute’s Choice) is likely to be in high demand when she is presented to the buying bench next year – particularly if big sister can snag a Group 1 on Saturday.     

“Miss Roumbini is a gorgeous Zoustar mare with a lovely pedigree to back it up, so a Group 1 win or even a placing would be absolutely fantastic for her connections,” Kent Jnr told ANZ News. 

“If she doesn’t manage to get a Group 1 on Saturday, there are plenty of options for her to add a black-type win to her page during the spring. I’m not sure we’d necessarily look to step her up to the mile, so that would rule out the Toorak Handicap. 

“A race like the Alan Brown Stakes in Sydney might appeal, it’s worth a lot of money ($1.5 million) and would potentially be a much more winnable race than a Sir Rupert Clarke. But we’ll get through Saturday then work it out from there.”    

The stable will also get a better guide on their top seed for the Caulfield Guineas after Saturday’s Prelude (Gr 3, 1400m), which features exciting colt Space Rider (Zoustar) and Red Planet (Admire Mars).

The latter, who became his Japanese sire’s first winner courtesy of a dynamic debut at Pakenham in May, holds early favouritism at $3.90 after his eye-catching effort behind Clinton McDonald’s dazzling debutant Rosberg (Deep Field) in the McKenzie Stakes (Listed, 1200m) last time. 

Having started second favourite, on face value Space Rider’s run in the McKenzie was perhaps a touch plain but after the stable’s vets were unable to detect any post-race abnormalities, the valuable colt’s connections were happy to forgive a rare off-day and press onto the Guineas Prelude.

With the winner set to receive a golden ticket to contest the stallion-making contest at Caulfield on October 11, there is plenty on the line for Space Rider who burst onto the scene as a juvenile at Eagle Farm last December with a 3.2-length defeat of Kelly Schweida’s stakes-placed colt Grafterburners (Graff). 

After returning with an impressive city win at his first start as a three-year-old in late-August, much was expected of Space Rider in the McKenzie but Kent Jnr hasn’t lost any faith in his charge, who was a $500,000 purchase in partnership with Tony Fung Investments and bloodstock agent Dermot Farrington. 

Kent Jnr’s only real query is whether Space Rider – who will be partnered for the first time by Blake Shinn – has the ability to stretch out to the mile in the Caulfield Guineas, particularly given his stakes-winning brother Brereton has excelled primarily over sprint trips. 

However his dam, Longwood Farm’s proven producer Fuddle Dee Duddle (Red Ransom), won the 2017 WA Champion Fillies Stakes (Gr 3, 1600m) for Lindsey Smith over the Ascot Mile so the step up to 1400 metres for the first time in Space Rider’s career should provide a good guide on whether he has inherited his mum’s aerobic capacity.      

“He’s got one of the biggest strides in the stable so we’ve always though Space Rider would love 1400 metres,” said Kent Jnr. 

“Physically he looks like he will cope with the trip on Saturday but unlike Planet Red, at this stage I’m not totally convinced he will run out a strong mile. So he’s probably on trial a little bit in the Prelude, but if he were to win or at least be hitting the line strongly then we’d persevere onto the Caulfield Guineas and all being well, Planet Red definitely goes there. 

“I know the market is favouring Planet Red on Saturday [Space Rider opened at $6], but that’s purely on their last starts so I would probably find it harder to split them. Planet Red is by a champion miler in Admire Mars and he would probably be just ahead of Space Rider in the pecking order for the Guineas at this stage, but over 1400 metres I would say they’re neck and neck. 

“They both worked fantastically on the course proper on Tuesday morning, they finished side by side and their recovery data was nearly identical so I’ll be sitting on the fence for now.”    

Golden Path completes the stable’s quartet of Saturday stakes runners when he steps up to the top tier of racing for the first time in an intriguing renewal of the Underwood. 

An opening quote of $17 is perhaps reflective of his realistic prospects, with the highly-credentialled trio of Buckaroo (Fastnet Rock), Sir Delius (Frankel) and Moira (Ghostzapper) amongst his chief rivals. 

However, having registered the sixth win of his career with a determined display over 1700 metres at Flemington last Saturday, his co-trainer insists the gallant gelding won’t be heading to Caulfield purely to make up the numbers.    

“His win at Flemington was absolutely fantastic, particularly as we’d missed the run the week prior in the Heatherlie Handicap when we found a bit of mucus,” said Kent Jnr, who will also saddle up Rosberg’s stakes-placed sister Deep Pleasure (Deep Field) in the second race on the program.  

“He had to carry 61 kilos and drew barrier 16 of 16, so he was set a huge task but to absorb the hot pressure set by Globe and still win was a very big effort, which is why we were happy to take our chance in the Group 1. The horse has done nothing but please us since his last run, he pulled up very well and this race did appeal to us. 

“Mick’s won the race before [with Heart Of Dreams in 2009 and Rubiscent in 2007], so he knows what it takes and even though the likes of Buckaroo, Moira and Sir Delius are obviously class animals, they have bigger targets in mind so sometimes you can catch some of these better horses off guard if they’re having prep runs. 

“Our horse is fit and well and he’s in career best form, so if ever we were going to test him out at Group 1 level, Saturday is probably the day. I don’t think he will look out of place at all in that company, he’ll put himself on speed and I’m confident he’ll give a very good sight.”