TOP Melbourne racehorse trainer Mick Price is still stunned at the story behind one of his latest winners, three-year-old gelding Marconi.

Price's eagle-eyed wife, Caroline, spotted a mare for sale in a Weekly Times classifieds advertisement in August, 2006.

The mare was carrying a foal by Lago Delight, the son of champion sire Encosta De Lago.

"I remember asking Mick if he liked Lago Delight," Mrs Price said. "He said 'yes' and said he would race the foal, so we bought the mare."

The Prices paid $4000 for the Grosvenor mare, Capriceuse, and Marconi was born just two weeks later.

He has shown plenty of promise, blitzing his rivals by 5 1/2 lengths in the 1000m Acryn Plate at Caulfield recently.

Marconi even attracted an offer of $250,000 from Hong Kong horse enthusiasts after trialling, but two failed vet tests meant he stayed in Mr Price's stable.

"My lovely wife gets The Weekly Times every week," Mr Price said. "She is into showjumping and warmbloods and she was looking for a Grosvenor mare to breed from.

"She saw one in the paper and the rest is history."

Mrs Price said Marconi's success was "a real surprise".

"We seriously thought he'd be a dud," Mrs Price said.

"He came out with bent legs and a few people said we should shoot him but I wouldn't let them.

"I still find myself reading the horse classifieds most weeks."