Ron Finemore went to France a couple of years ago and fell in love with a Lonhro colt that he thought would be a sprinter-miler.
But as in many cases, love is blind.
Stayer in the making: Peribsen (inside) chases home Master Of Arts in last month's Manion Cup.
Photo: AAP
Peribsen would struggle to keep up at a mile but at two miles he could become a Sydney Cup winner at Randwick on Saturday.
I went over and went through the studs with Peter Maher and I saw this colt and loved him, Finemore said. It was my first time there and I couldnt stop talking about him.
He was being sold at Deauville and I just wanted to buy him. I had gone home by the time the sale was on, so I was on the phone to Peter. I just told him not to miss him. I ended up paying €180,000 for him, which is probably a bit much, but I didnt want to miss out on him.
Peribsen went into work with Freddie Head in France, but was always destined to come to Australia. He had a win at Saint Cloud over 2800 metres as a three-year-old before being placed in listed company and running fourth in a 3000m group 2 at Chantilly.
We were hoping that he would have done well enough for Freddie to bring him over here last spring, but his form as a four-year-old didnt measure up, Finemore said. We decided to bring him back when John OShea came back to [public] training and he has done a wonderful job with him since he arrived.
Finemore has always been a big OShea supporter and Peribsen will be his first group 1 runner in four years on Saturday.
Just before he took the job at Godolphin, we ran second in the Queen Of The Turf with Gypsy Diamond. This is my first group 1 runner since then and hopefully we can go one better, Finemore said.
When this bloke arrived he used to work with his head up and John has got him to drop it and relax and we find ourselves in the Sydney Cup with a hope.
In six starts in Australia, Peribsen has won twice and been placed in Sydney Cup lead-ups in the Manion Cup and Chairmans Quality at group 3 and group 2 level.
He is a real stayer, so it took for him to get to 2000m in a Kembla Grange class 1 to win in Australia.
He wasnt suited in a sprint home over 2200m at Warwick Farm the following start with the blinkers on for the first time, before he proved the strongest over 2400m at Rosehill at the end of February. The further the better for him, and the more pressure is on, the better, OShea said.
Finemore is hoping to get a Sydney Cup with Peribsen but admits it wasnt the race he was dreaming of back in France.
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I didnt think I was buying a cup horse, but once you get one you are happy because there are so many options for him, Finemore said.
I thought he would be a miler and be running in some of the good races over there.
That will all be forgotten if he wins on Saturday and I will be telling everyone we were after a stayer.
