Planet Red takes first step towards Golden Eagle bid

New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale graduate Planet Red (Admire Mars) has taken the first step towards an ambitious spring campaign, pleasing co-trainer Mick Price in a Cranbourne jumpout on Monday.

The son of Admire Mars, who was purchased for $260,000 from Ohukia Lodge's draft at the 2024 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale, finished second in his 800m heat under Mark Zahra as he resumed work ahead of a campaign expected to culminate in the A$10 million Gr.1 Golden Eagle (1500m) at Randwick.

Planet Red has already established himself among Australia's leading young milers, finishing runner-up in last spring's Gr.1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) before adding another Group One placing in the Gr.1 Australian Guineas (1600m) during the autumn.

Price believes the Golden Eagle's 1500m trip is ideally suited to the talented rising four-year-old, particularly given the luckless nature of his Group One performances.

"His run in the Caulfield Guineas was very good, drawn a bad gate, and his run in the Australian Guineas was very good, drawn a bad gate, so we were forced to ride cold in both those races," Price said.

"The Golden Eagle is a fast 1500m. You need a horse with a pretty good turn of foot and, for $10 million and four-year-olds, I think he'll be in it."

Before then, Planet Red is expected to launch his spring campaign in the Gr.1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 29, with his lofty rating leaving the stable with few suitable alternatives.

"I think he'll probably have to turn up in the Memsie," Price said.

"With his rating and the timing of it, that's the logical place to kick him off.

"We might have a crack at the Golden Eagle after that."

The Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained gelding is also expected to contest the Gr.1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) before heading to Sydney for his Golden Eagle assignment.

The stable won the inaugural Golden Eagle in 2021 with I'm Thunderstruck (NZ) (Shocking) and will be hoping Planet Red can add another chapter to that record this spring.