Promising New Zealand galloper Ringo will join the stable of Mick Price for the 2014 Spring Racing Carnival after performing well in two race starts in Australia.

Ringo finished second behind Akavoroun in his Australian racing debut at Flemington on June 28. Photo by: Race Horse

Ringo made his Australian racing debut with a close second place finish behind Akavoroun in the VRC-CRV Winter Championship Heat (1410m) at Flemington on June 28 before finishing a credible fifth in the Listed VRC-CRV Winter Championship Final (1600m) at the same venue last weekend.

The Fastnet Rock gelding has been included in the nominations for the Internationaler Club Baden Baden Handicap (1600m) that will be run at Flemington on Saturday and current trainer Mike Breslin told AAP that he would back-up in the race before joining the Price stable to being preparation for the spring.

“He looks bright; I just weighed him and he only lost two kilos with that run on Saturday,” Breslin said.

“He still looks very bright in the eye and everything and it was only his third run back in the Winter Championship Final, so I can’t see why he wouldn’t back up.

“Then he’s actually going to have a little break here and probably come back into work with Mick Price for the spring.”

Breslin is unsure what races that Ringo will be set for during the 2014 Spring Racing Carnival, but he said that the rising five-year-old will be given the opportunity to prove that he can be competitive at the highest level of racing in Australia.

If Ringo is able to perform in Group races in Australia he is likely to remain in Melbourne, but if he fails to fire he will return to New Zealand for the Summer Festival including race starts in events like the Group 3 Challenge Stakes (1400m) at Awapuni and the Group 2 Rich Hill Mile (1600m) in Auckland.

“He’ll race on Saturday and then Mick can probably give him ten days off and then see how he comes up in the spring in Australia,” Breslin said.

“If he comes up well he will obviously stay racing here.

“If he’s not up to black type level in the spring he’ll pop back over to New Zealand and run in some of our Group races around that Christmas period or a bit earlier.”

38 horses have been included in the nominations for the Internationaler Club Baden Baden Handicap and Ringo will carry the top-weight of 60 kilograms if Breslin elects to run him in the $80,000 race.