The past and the future will come together in the present for trainer John Thompson with his two group1 runners at Randwick on Saturday.
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Thompson will have Tea Rose Stakes heroine First Seal chasing the Flight Stakes, while former Patinack four-year-old Hooked is among the leading hopes in the Epsom Handicap, although his new owners will not become clear until he is sold at the Magic Millions in the dispersal sale on Wednesday.
"I have been getting him ready as I would for any group1 since his Cameron win," Thompson said. "He is 105 per cent ready to go and I have no doubt he will run a big mile.
"We have booked Sam Clipperton and he will come to get a feel of him on Tuesday, and we find out who the new owner is on Wednesday."
The new owner will be decided at the Patinack Farm dispersal sale, which started at the Magic Millions on Sunday with Nathan Tinkler ringside to watch his stock sold under G.Harvey Nominees Pty Ltd, ATF Harvey 2007 Option Trust.
The Patinack stock will continue to be sold over the next couple of days. However, the top lot for the day was not a Patinack mare. Instead it was Believe'N'Succeed, sold by Attunga Stud as agent in foal to Street Cry, for $1.1million.
Group-1 winner Bel Mer was the best of the Patinack mares at $850,000, which was a net loss after she cost $1.05million in 2010.
The past month has been tough for Thompson but the Patinack era ended in glory as Hooked won the Cameron. He is focused on building his stable back up, and a group1 win would be just the encouragement some owners might need to send him a horse.
"It can never hurt to have a good horse to let people know who I am and that I can train," Thompson said. "It was good to have First Seal come out win the Tea Rose because she has let me hit the ground running [post-Patinack]."
First Seal, owned by the China Horse Club, could become its first Australian group1 winner in the Flight Stakes. She proved too strong in the Tea Rose Stakes at Randwick in her first shot at a black-type company last start.
"The win the other day was very strong ... I'm not going to say she is better than before the Tea Rose but she certainly hasn't lost anything," Thompson said. "I think it is going to be a very interesting race because I have a lot of respect for Winx and there wasn't that much between them the last time."
