Exciting Savabeel colt Brando will be out to showcase his talents on the international stage.
Trainer Jamie Richards is keen to test the lightly-tried galloper against the best of his generation across the Tasman following his runner-up finish in Saturday's Group 1 Levin Classic (1600).
A Melbourne campaign beckons the 3-year-old, who has won three of his five starts, including a dominant performance in the Listed Uncle Remus Stakes (1400m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day. Bought for $500,000 by Te Akau principal David Ellis from Riversley Park's draft at the 2019 Ready to Run Sale, the colt will have another chance to enhance his value as a future stallion prospect after getting in a bumping duel and a long way out of his ground when narrowly failing to run down Bonham in the Levin Classic.
"He will have a really quiet week this week," Richards said. "We will send him around to the water treadmill for a week to give him a bit of a freshen-up.
"He will run in the CS Hayes [Group 3, 1400m] at Flemington on February 13 and then the Australian Guineas [Group 1, 1600m] a fortnight later. In the back of our minds, his pedigree is pretty sharp and I think there is further improvement with a set of blinkers on as well. He will probably be seen in the CS Hayes with a set of those on.