Price dancing the light fantastic

Australian Guineas winner Light Fantastic has grown in to a heavyweight as he prepares for this year's spring carnival.

Trainer Mick Price was thrilled with the gelding's condition when he arrived at his stables last week.

The rising four-year-old tipped the scales 580 kilos when he left his spelling paddock to go into pre-training six weeks ago, which is 80 kilos heavier than he was in the autumn.

Price says he can hardly believe the transformation in the gelding who is unbeaten in four starts.

"He just returned from Rockmount pretraining and he looks magnificent," Price said.

"All horses can put on weight but his frame has grown and that's the best thing about him.

"I think he has made a physical progression which is what you need to see.

"He looked like a three-year-old when we had him racing in the autumn and now he looks like a four-year-old.

Price said he was relieved that Light Fantastic had gained strength and not fat.

"It will be interesting to see what weight he holds up at," Price said.

"I had a good feel over him and you can feel his ribs, he has a thickened neck, he has got more bone on him and got more shoulder.

"I am really pleased because for him to do what he has to do as a four-year-old coming up against horses like Weekend Hussler, he has to be a big, strong four-year-old."

Light Fantastic had a meteoric rise in the autumn graduating from a Kyneton maiden win over 1100 metres at his debut to his Group One Australian Guineas victory in just 37 days.

On the way through he also won the Listed Nissan Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley and backed up a week later to win the Group Two Perri Cutten Cup (1400m).

Price said spring race plans leading up to the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley on October 25 were not yet finalised for Light Fantastic.

"I got the calendar this week and we will work back from the Cox Plate to see where we go with him," Price said.