Trainer Mick Price believes even a Melbourne Cup is not beyond his Group 1 Australian Guineas hero Grunt who bounced back from a sub-par effort in the Memsie Stakes to run away with Saturday's $750,000 Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington.
Settled back in fifth place by Damien Oliver as Black Heart Bart cut out solid sectionals, Grunt tool control at the 300 metres and was strong to the line to defeat Kings Will Dream by two lengths with New Zealander Jon Snow a half-length back in third. (photo Grant Courtney)
The 4yo son of O'Reilly advances his record to 5 wins and 1 third from 8 starts with earnings of $1,214,250.
It was a fifth win in the race for Oliver who said a return to Flemington turned Grunt's form around after two unplaced efforts.
"Today was D day for him, he's unbeaten at Flemington and he really does enjoy the big open spaces," Oliver said.
It was a nice truly run race and he had a lovely run and when I popped out he chimes in perfectly. We saw the real Grunt today."
Price said he has some thinking to do in planning Grunt's programme.
"He's in everything. If we go three weeks till the Turnbull then you go to the Caulfield Cup but if you go the Underwood and Caulfield Stakes you've got to go the Cox Plate. I'd be a bit concerned how he would get around Moonee Valley, so I don't really know which way we will go.
"I think he would be a beautiful staying horse and it wouldn't worry me if we ended up in a Melbourne Cup, with a lighter weight, I think about 54kgs. It didn't hurt Rekindled to be lightly raced so I'll take a line off that rookie Joe O'Brien and maybe he'll end up in a Melbourne Cup at the end of this preparation."
Grunt was a $220,000 purchase by M G Price Racing/Cameron Cooke B/Stock out of the Trelawney Stud draft at the 2016 NZB Premier Yearling Sale.
He is the third winner from as many foals out of the winning Van Nistelrooy mare Ruqqaya who is a half-sister to the Group 1 Cox Plate winner Ocean Park (Thorn Park).
The fifth foal of Ruqqaya, a filly by champion stallion Savabeel, was withdrawn from the Inglis Easter Yearling sale.
After missing in 2016 Ruqqaya was covered by Tivaci last spring.
Grunt completed a grand day for the former Waikato Stud stalwart O'Reilly after Brutal kept his unbeaten record intact earlier on the card.
