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By Ray Hickson

There’s potential for a big win in Godolphin sprinter Kerguelen's future and trainer Joe Pride hopes to underline that view in Saturday’s Listed $250,000 De Bortoli Wines Takeover Target Stakes (1200m) at Gosford.

Trainer Joe Pride (Pic: Grant Guy).

Pride has won the Takeover Target five times with Title (2012), See The World (2013), Ball Of Muscle (2015), Kuro (2017) and Think About It in 2023.

Kerguelen is on a similar path, in an immediate sense at least, to the latter who went on to win the Stradbroke Handicap that winter and Pride said the five-year-old has a good profile to do the same.

Of course, Think About It also won the 2023 TAB Everest.

“He’s won the three races for us in a short amount of time,’’ Pride said.

“He’s quickly shaping up as a horse that has Group and Listed potential, there’s no doubt about that, we’ve already run him in a couple of nice races and we’re yet to see the best of him.

“I think that’s to come and that’s an exciting prospect given what he’s already done.”

The gelding has contested Group 3s at his past two starts and clocked the fastest last 600m (33.01, Punter’s Intelligence) when running fifth behind stablemate Mazu in the Hall Mark Stakes three weeks ago.

Sam Clipperton, who also partnered Think About It, has the ride on Saturday from barrier two and Pride said if Kerguelen, $4.20 with TAB on Wednesday, can get his first 200m or so right then he’d be confident of making his presence more than felt.

“It’s nice to see him draw a gate, he doesn’t always jump the cleanest but if he does that’s absolutely ideal,’’ he said.

“The horse is great, I’m really happy with him, he’s ticking over nicely.

“He’s going to the races in terrific shape, closing in on peak fitness now, with a trip to Brisbane for an assignment on the cards if he can do what I think he will do.

“I think he will enjoy a good solid tempo, which he doesn’t always get in his races, and if he gets that no doubt he will be firing at the end.”

Crepe Myrtle, another of the Godolphin stock, is destined for stakes company according to Pride and he’s expecting a strong showing in the Triple M Thunder Thousand (1000m).

The mare resumed with a third behind Golden Straand at Warwick Farm in mid-April and the trainer said she’ll improve on that and likes how the race appears to play out for her.

“She’s very good and she builds into her prep so I’m sure this run will be better again,’’ he said.

“I have a bit of time for her, she’s on her way to stakes racing I’m pretty sure.

“These races are generally not easy stepping stones but for a horse I think is going to be a Group horse she should be taking care of a field like this.

“She’ll be poised to take advantage of the speed because she has got pretty good speed herself.”

Pride concedes he’s been let down by Brigidine Gal this season and hopes she can turn things around in the Tooheys Handicap (1600m).

Unplaced in eight runs in 2025/26, the twice Group 3 placed four-year-old will race in blinkers for the first time if she lines up given she is part of the Chairman’s Sale on Thursday.

Kerguelen's last start at Randwick on April 18

“She loomed up the other day and just didn’t finish off the last bit,’’ he said.

“She has blinkers applied and we’re hoping that makes a difference.

“She’s been disappointing in her four-year-old year because she shaped up as a three-year-old to really go on with it and hasn’t done that as yet.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday’s Gosford meeting