Promising colt Jabali is set to resume racing for Eliza Park International in the G3 Vain Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield next Saturday.

Trainer Mick Price has booked Damien Oliver has the ride him ahead of stablemates Cornrow and Nordic Empire.  “He will be keen and will run very well,” Price said.  “The blinkers are off and the winkers are on this Saturday.”

Eliza Park International purchased a controlling interest in Jabali after he finished second to Earthquake in the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes.  “I have a big opinion of this colt,” Price added.  “He has a ton of natural ability and the makings of an exceptional three year-old.”

Jabali (3c Exceed And Excel – Balalaika by King Of Kings) won a 750m jump out with some authority at Caulfield last Tuesday.  After the Vain Stakes, he will be set for the G1 Golden Rose in Sydney on September 14.

Price bought him for $220,000 out of the Kornong Stud draft at the 2013 Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale.  His stakes-placed dam Balalaika is a daughter of Group 2 winner Love of Mary who is a sister to world champion sprinter Sacred Kingdom.

Eliza Park International’s Mark Lindsay believes Jabali will mature into an exciting stallion prospect.  “He was on our radar from the start,” he said.  “We had to outbid interest from the Hunter Valley and overseas.”

The move to buy Jabali is also firm evidence new owner Cheng Ting Kong is intent on becoming a major player in Australian racing and breeding through Eliza Park International.

“Everyone knows about the Hunter Valley but Victoria can become a breeding hub of Australia,” Lindsay predicted.  “Victoria lacks the stallions at the moment but Eliza Park International can help change that, with horses like Jabali, because it can compete with the likes of Darley and Coolmore.”