Time to Wonder on spring racing campaign

Mornington trainer Jerome Hunter will get a better idea of the direction Wonder Boy will head into the spring after he runs at Caulfield.

Wonder Boy will be second-up when he contests the Group 3 McNeil Stakes (1200m) on Saturday after an eye-catching first-up effort at Caulfield on August 17.

Hunter is considering setting Wonder Boy for the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) on October 12 with the Group 3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude (1400m) on September 21 likely to be a fork-in-the-road for the gelding.

Craig Williams will take over in the saddle on Saturday, and Hunter said his feedback will be crucial in any decision.

“He’s got the physique of a sprinter, so it’s still up in the air whether 1400 metres to a mile will suit him, so we won’t know until we try him,” Hunter said of Wonder Boy.

“He relaxes early, so there’s no point in taking him out of his comfort zone.

“The Guineas Prelude will be the next step, unless we’re told otherwise by Craig who will ride him Saturday and he’ll let us know.

“He could be a get back, run home sprinter, so Saturday could tell us more.”

Wonder Boy caught the eye with his late closing run first-up over 1100m, a trip Hunter always thought would be too sharp for the gelding.

Hunter did not want to step Wonder Boy out first-up over 1200m following two trials, knowing Saturday’s race, with the quality of opposition entered, could be a tough contest.

The trainer also considered running Wonder Boy in a trial at Cranbourne on Monday before electing to give the gelding another look at Caulfield on Tuesday.

“I didn’t want him to have a gut-buster first-up and take him straight to 1200 metres,” Hunter said.

“It was almost a Group 3 trial last time, but I knew he would come out of it and improve.

“Looking at him, he looks a lot fitter and a lot more kilos lighter, which he needed to be.

“I did think about trialling him yesterday (at Cranbourne), but I thought ‘no, it might be too much’, so I thought ‘no, bring him here and give him a nice gallop’.”