Larrikin owner John Singleton senses Joe Pride’s exciting sprinter Think About It is a “freak” who could win “everything” over sprint trips in the spring carnival.
Singleton went into the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap full of hope that his boom three-year-old colt Hawaii Five Oh, co-owned by his long-time mate and breeder Gerry Harvey, could snap Think About It’s winning streak.
But Think About It went whoosh, collecting his second Group 1 in a row and his seventh consecutive win, while Hawaii Five Oh ran well but finished third.
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Think About It sits on the third line of The Everest betting at $7, behind Giga Kick and I Wish I Win, but seasoned racing man Singleton feels Pride’s sprinter could be something out of the box.
“I think there is a good chance we got beaten by a freak in the Stradbroke,” Singleton told Racenet.
“If you ran that race 20 times, Think About It would win every time on that day over that distance.
“Hawaii Five Oh’s run in the Stradbroke was good but I didn’t think he was going to win at any stage.
“Think About It could well win everything in the spring.
“Joe Pride is having a lot of success.
“People are starting to realise he is a very good trainer who knows what he is doing.”
Singleton, who before the Stradbroke predicted Hawaii Five Oh could be worth $40m if he won, was magnanimous in defeat and quickly congratulated Pride post-race at Eagle Farm.
Singleton has now revealed the first-up spring mission for Hawaii Five Oh.
He said co-trainer Gai Waterhouse wants to deploy the explosive colt in the Group 1 Winx Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on August 19.
Singleton said it is a deliberate plan to have Hawaii Five Oh racing early in the spring.
The Winx Stakes is a fork in the road race to determine whether the colt could potentially come back in trip to race in the $20m The Everest or be set more on a campaign towards the $10m Golden Eagle over 1500m.
“It depends on the horse now, whether he is good enough,” Singleton said.
“He could go up or down a couple of lengths.
“If he goes up a couple of lengths, he is going to be a Group 1 horse for sure.
“I would love to have a horse racing in The Everest.
“We want to see him racing really fast in the Winx (Stakes) and hopefully winning, or in a worst-case scenario being unlucky.
“Gai wants to have the horse racing early so we can then look at going back or forward (in distance).
“After the Winx Stakes, we can talk sensibly about what his spring might look like.”
TAB fixed odds markets have Hawaii Five Oh rated a $26 chance in betting on The Everest and a $15 chance in the Golden Eagle.
Pride said Think About It returned into work on Monday and will resume in the Premiere Stakes in late September, a traditional lead-up to The Everest.
When told of Singleton’s comments about his horse, Pride said: “I hope he’s right!”
Originally published as John Singleton reveals spring plans for Hawaii Five Oh, says Think About It could be a freak
