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The Invitation is the race co-trainer Robert Price is warming to as an ideal spring target for smart mare Jamaea but he said all options are open as the four-year-old starts her campaign at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
Of course a Group 1 is the dream for any owner and trainer but Robert Price said there is a change of thinking emerging around feature races, fuelled by the inception of the likes of The Everest and Golden Eagle.
Take Brad Widdup's star Icebath, winner of the inaugural The Invitation, as an example.
She's pocketed $4.2 million so far and is yet to win at Group 1 level, or even a stakes race, but that shouldn't detract from her class should she eventually go through a broodmare sale.
"I think if you've won the Everest or the Golden Eagle you sit pretty well at stud,'' Price said.
"The Invitation is there, the Golden Eagle is there, there are that many options.
"We've got to be conscious of where we place her. Randwick is her track and she does get back in her races so I'm mindful of that.
"The Invitation is a good race for her. I think she will advertise herself after the weekend."
As the race's name suggests, 12 fillies and mares are invited by a panel to contest the $2 million feature run over 1400m at Royal Randwick on October 22.
Jamaea, already a two time Group 2 winner, kicks off in the Group 3 $200,000 Laurel Oak Toy Show Quality (1100m) and a first or second placing will see her prizemoney top the $1 million mark.
Price, who co-trains with son Luke, said she only had a short time off after her close third to stablemate Count De Rupee in the Group 2 Victory Stakes at Doomben in April.
Spring targets will in some part be dictated by track conditions so the prospect of a good surface, or close to it, has Price confident Jamaea will be right in the finish first-up having done so well, putting on 3kg, since her close second to Toy Show favourite Zapateo early in a trial last week.
"We haven't been able to give her a long time off but that's the life of a carnival horse,'' he said.
"She settles into her spelling routine really well because we always use the same paddock. She's a real racehorse, she's come back in great order.
"We gave her a quiet jump out early in the prep then she trialled as good as you'd like to see her trial going into this race.
"When you put your glasses on her behind the gates on Saturday you'll find she's very relaxed and tuned in to what she's doing."
Tommy Berry rides Jamaea, and he'll also partner Count De Rupee in the Tramway Stakes in two weeks, who was $6 with TAB on Thursday. She's not currently listed in The Invitation market.
Stablemate Pirate Bird will accompany Jamaea to Randwick and while he is a 21 start maiden Price said if nothing else he will run the distance of the Gold Coast Turf Club Handicap (2400m) right out.
The five-year-old finished fourth in a Benchmark 64 over the same trip at Kensington on August 10 and will collect at least $3500 for his trouble.
"It's pie in the sky but the owner wanted to get him up to a mile and a half and we are going to get a drying track,'' Price said.
"I know it is ambitious but I am hoping he runs a good race. He's a horse that is in good provincial form so we can have a roll of the dice."
