Price said the step up in trip should be OK for Sabaj, although he noted it was an entirely different race to the one he won on Tuesday.
"He should run well, but I would be surprised if he was to stand up and win," Price said.
"But I think sometimes you back them up through this Carnival, and they seem to run well.
"It's not like he's second-up or anything. He's conditioned up, he had a good 1800-metre hit-out the other day.
"He went to the beach on Wednesday, was on the treadmill on Thursday, had a trot and canter on Friday, and then race day on Saturday and his best run was in the Australian Cup over 2000 metres."
Sabaj won on the corresponding program last year taking out a 1600m benchmark 84 on a rain softened track before going on to claim the Cranbourne Cup.
Similar conditions are predicted again on Saturday, cold and wet, although Price would be happy to see not too much rain.
"I don't want to make it too much of a grind for him," Price said.
"He's had two 1400-metre runs, a mile, an 1800 and now he's on the back-up.
"I think his best distance is round that 2000-metre point, so it's just a matter of whether he's ready for it."
