Blind Raise has firmed into second favourite for the Caulfield Guineas after a dominant victory in a lead-up contest at Caulfield.
The Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young-trained three-year-old was made to work early in the Group 3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude (1400m) on Saturday and then stave off a mid-race move before scoring untouched.
Sent out the $2.40 favourite under Blake Shinn, Blind Raise scored a 2-¾ length win from Tornado Valley ($19) with American Eagle ($5) a short-head away third.
Blind Raise firmed from $11 into $4 after the victory to sit of the second line of betting behind Tron Bolt ($3.50) in the Caulfield Guineas (1600m) on October 10.
Blind Raise CRUISES away with the Caulfield Guineas Prelude 😲
He’s four from five and on his way to the big one!@blake_shinn @busuttin pic.twitter.com/5SP43L5Thi
— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) September 19, 2026
Shinn said Saturday’s victory was a statement with the Guineas three weeks away.
“He’s an exceptional horse,” Shinn said.
“I’m just delighted to get a win for Trent and Natalie.
“They’re great judges of horses. It didn’t work for the horse in the winter when they took him to Queensland and they’ve come back and he’s just got a real aura about him.
“We’ve got three weeks into the Guineas, and he was off a two-week backup into today off one trial into his first-up run.
“I’m pleased he’s got three weeks into the Guineas. Trent can do what he likes with him and it’s exciting.”
Busuttin said Blind Raise was a different horse leading into Saturday’s contest from the one that scored first-up at Sandown on September 5.
“He’s improved a hell of a lot,” Busuttin said.
“He’s such a relaxed, calm horse, and first-up off the back of one trial when at Sandown, he was sweating, he was jig-jogging, he was up-and-about, but today he was asleep and I knew it was game on.”
Blind Raise had to be on his game as he was forced to work up the hill from the 1400m start, before settling outside the leader Alchemistic.
Then, Ethan Brown on Wolf Gap made a move before the turn to put pressure into the race.
“He’s a horse with a good turn of foot,” Busuttin said.
“When they whipped around and Blake was still sitting pretty on him, I was pretty happy.
“He will go into the Guineas without another run. It was a two-week turnaround without a break and it’s three weeks to the Guineas and then another two weeks … to the Cox Plate.”
