Rising Benchmark stayer Samuel Langhorne is poised for a significant preparation, likely targeting Bendigo’s Golden Mile meeting.

While contesting a Benchmark 78 race, the 2400-meter test could serve as a pivotal stepping stone towards a Melbourne Cup, a win potentially leading to a shot at the ballot-free Andrew Ramsden at Flemington next month.

The horse shares a remarkable connection with Roy Higgins Quality winner Mark Twain, both tracing their lineage to Shocking and a common dam lineage.

Bred by Gail Temperton, who has a storied history in staying races, both horses were prepared by Kelly Van Dyk and sold before the two-year-old Ready To Run sale in 2021.

Trainer Mick Kent acquired both, selling Mark Twain to a group including OTI Racing and retaining Samuel Langhorne in partnership with Phill Cataldo.

“He was up and going earlier than the other horse, but I think he (Samuel Langhorne) will make it too,” Van Dyk said.

“He’s just taken a little longer to mature. Mark Twain is still very green, but both are bred to stay all day as there’s Pentathlon in the family and he ran in a Melbourne Cup and was placed in a Wellington Cup.

“It’ll be great to follow them both and see how far they go.”

While Mark Twain experienced a swifter rise to prominence, Samuel Langhorne’s delayed maturity suggests promise for future success.

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