“I THINK he’s one of the most promising horses I’ve had since Smooth Satin.”

If there was an ideal way that The Lagoon trainer-driver Steve Turnbull – a man who has had more than 20,000 runners and 3,000 wins during his career – could praise a horse, then making that sort of statement would be it.

And given that the canny reinsman more often than not plays down his chances, that he was drawn into making such a comment about his unbeaten colt Power Of Red means he is most certainly a horse to watch.

Turnbull offered that praise after Power Of Red continued a dominant start to his career with an emphatic win in Saturday’s Group 3 Chokin Three Year Old Stakes (1,609 metres) at Menangle.

It was the fifth win in succession for the Rocknroll Hanover x Shoutaloud colt bred locally at Brooklyn Lodge and took his earnings to $36,000.

Driven by Steve’s daughter Amanda Turnbull, Power Of Red clocked a 1:51.8 winning mile rate. So far the slowest effort he has clocked has been a 1:57.4.

While his latest effort is faster than Smooth Satin’s career best winning mile rate and Turnbull’s former champion only won three of his first five starts, Power Of Red still has a long way to go to emulate the ‘Bathurst Bullet’.

The son of Stature, whose stable name was ‘Socks’, amassed $1,428,490 in prize money during a 122-start career which saw him notch up 46 wins and 48 placings.

His resume includes victories in the 2001 Miracle Mile and 2002 Inter Dominion as well as the Bathurst, Dubbo, Sydney and Gold Coast Bulletin Cups.

“Socks was great for us and any time you win races like that, you remember them,” Turnbull said.

On Saturday Power Of Red ($3.10) pulled clear from the death seat down the home straight to win by 4.7m from Charlaval ($11.70), with another 4.3m back to $2.20 favourite Salty Robyn.

The pace out in front was hot with a 27 seconds flat opening quarter as the two best backed runners looked comfortable travelling across the back of the Menangle circuit.

Halfway through the final turn Salty Robyn – the Group 2 Rod Fitzpatrick Memorial victor – and Power Of Red had put three lengths back to the other contenders thanks to a scorching 26.7 seconds third sectional.

But Salty Robin was unable to sustain the effort as Power Of Red flew away to earn a $18,000 first place cheque.

Turnbull’s Rocknroll Hanover out of Shoutaloud colt will now be aimed at the Victoria Derby, an annual three-year-old race Smooth Satin ran second in 15 years ago.

“He’s very promising. He reminds me of Four Trumps and Smooth Satin. I’m not saying he will become as good a horse as Smooth Satin, but he’s definitely going to be a very good horse,” Turnbull said.

“I think he’ll be a very competitive derby horse and that’s the races that we’re going to be heading to with him from now on. They’ll be starting up in January.”

Heats of the $200,000 Victorian Derby take place at Ballarat on January 23.