Cambridge Stud’s Almanzor (Fr) has had a solid season with Group winners in Australia and New Zealand headed by his imported Group I ATC Sydney Cup winner Circle of Fire (GB) and Joe Pride thinks he has a nice up and coming stayer by the high class son of Wootton Bassett.
Three year-old gelding Nosferatu has been a work in progress going around in six trials before making his debut with an even effort in a 1400m maiden at Randwick earlier this month.
Stepped up to 1600m at Warwick Farm on Wednesday, Nosferatu was ridden quietly by Jay Ford and charted an inside passage up the fence to swoop on the leaders and win by two lengths eased down.
“He’s just taken time and I kept telling the owners he’ll be OK,” said Joe Pride.
“He’s been a sleeping giant and needed to wake up, I had another one like that, Titanium Power (winner of over $570,000) and he ended up pretty good.
“He’s by a good stallion in Almanzor, so we should be able to stretch his speed out to at least 2000m.”
Nosferatu was bought for $100,000 by his trainer from the Cambridge Stud draft at Inglis Premier and is the first winner from Durack (GB), an imported High Chaparral daughter of stakes-winner Lake Palace with his European pedigree suggesting longer trips will be to his liking.
