Melbourne trainer Mick Price is 100 per cent happy with the condition of star New Zealand-owned four-year-old Alamosa heading into the Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) on Saturday.
Alamosa, who won nine of his 17 starts in New Zealand, has had four weeks between races and the break has done him the world of good.
"Mick said the horse has freshened up nicely after his last run and has been working well," said Bill Gleeson of Wellfield Lodge which is a principal owner of the son of O"Reilly.
Unfortunately Alamosa has drawn wide at barrier 14 in the 18-horse field.
"Based on his lead-up form and the quality of Alamosa's previous rivals , he should be very competitive," said Gleeson.
"Unfortunately we have drawn a bad alley which will make the task more difficult," he said.
The blinkers will come off Alamosa in this race and he will be ridden by Price's stable rider Craig Newitt for the first time.
Saturday"s race performance by Alamosa will determine his future race plans with a good effort required to pursue plans to contest the A$3 million Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 25.
Alamosa has an excellent record over1600 metres with four wins and a second from six starts at the distance while his Group One record is almost as formidable with three wins, a second and a third from six starts.
