Michael Kent Jnr is optimistic Think Giant will end up in bigger races than the one he will find himself in this Saturday at Caulfield, but the Cranbourne trainer considers it a good starting point.
The imported four-year-old will make his Australian debut in the $130,000 BenchMark 78 over 1700 metres.
It will be the Lope De Vega gelding’s first start since a Group 1 fourth placing at Cologne in September last year and Kent is excited about seeing where his Southern Hemisphere career takes him.
“He’s lovely, scopey horse who is far from the finished product,” Kent said.
“He’s 16.2 (hands) and all leg and I think he’ll keep filling out over the next 12 months or so.”
“Like all of the imports, we’re not forcing him, we just want to let him come to hand naturally and expect that he’ll get better for the prep and be better next preparation.”
Think Giant was bought in partnership with OTI for €280,000 (AU$457,000) at The Arc Sale at Arqana in France after the Preis Von Europa (2400m), in which he was beaten four lengths by Sibayan.
That followed a third placing over 2400m at Listed level in France, his second Black Type placing after finishing runner-up over 1600m at Group 3 level in Germany as a two-year-old.
Kent said Think Giant took some time acclimatising, but a stint with Steven Pateman at Thirteenth Beach helped get him settled and he and his co-trainer Mick Price had noticed a big turnaround in recent weeks.
“It’s been the last five weeks really where he’s just got it,” Kent said.
“Now he walks out of the barn and he walks home, whereas he used to jig-jog everywhere.”
“He’s a real stayer, but he’s going the right way finally.”
Think Giant’s preparations have included a couple of Cranbourne jumpout wins, the first over 1200m and another over 1400m, which Kent considered encouraging.
“We haven’t tuned him up for a first-up win or anything like that, we’ve just brought him along gently and let everything happen naturally for him,” he said.
“I don’t think the trials he won at Cranbourne were particularly strong, but he stayed on well on wet ground.”
“He’ll get back and then run on, but I think he’ll be looking for 2000 metres pretty quickly and we have got a bit of weight there on Saturday as well.”
Think Giant will carry 61kg at Caulfield, where he will be ridden by Tom Stockdale.
