Emerging three-year-old What You Need has taken the chance to step into the big league this autumn after the impressive Supido colt made a mess of his rivals in the VRC Member Sprint (1100m) at Flemington on Saturday.
Co-trainer Mick Price said the colt will next step to the $500,000 Sunlight Classic (1100m) at Flemington in a fortnight before a $1 million test in the Group 2 Arrowfield Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on April 8 would be the colt’s main missions this autumn.
“He’s a very exciting horse,” Price said of the colt, who was having just his second start.
“He had a chip out of his fetlock but the beach boys have done a good job with him and here we are. He was very good.”
What You Need won his debut at Geelong last August by four lengths and on Saturday he had a three-and-a-quarter length margin as the $2.05 favourite over stablemate Kaygeebee ($6.50), with Lincoln Square ($18) in third place.
Price said the colt, who he purchased as a yearling for $180,000, was a short-course horse.
“He’s definitely a sprinter, so we’re not going anywhere past 1200m. That will be him,” he said.
Jockey Ben Melham said What You Need was finally on his way to measuring up to early expectations.
“Obviously, he’s possessed really good ability from early doors, at least stakes grade if not better I always thought,” he said.
“But he’s just had a couple of setbacks and they’ve done a good job to just nurse him back to the track and get him here.
“He’s just a very good horse; he’s adaptable, he’s got a very good attitude and he’s not one dimensional.
“There are many strings to his bow. He was effective up the straight, effective around a corner so he’s a pretty foolproof horse.”
BY RACING.COM