Big bonus poses problems: Price Trainer Mick Price. RACING Victoria's lucrative group 1 championship series may carry a $1 million bonus, but it will give trainers a few headaches as well, according to Mick Price. Callanish, Price's unbeaten four-year-old, kicks off his Australian Cup campaign in Saturday's group 1 Orr Stakes at Caulfield, and is one of the horses capable of claiming the big bonus. The three-race series takes in the Orr Stakes (1400 metres), Peter Young Stakes (1800 metres) and Australian Cup (2000 metres), with any horse completing the treble earning $1 million, while there is $50,000 international travel subsidy for the series winner. But the schedule presents a challenge for horses with just a month from start to finish. To make matters more difficult, Callanish will be tackling the series just three runs after stepping out of restricted company and at his first run back from a spell following a Seymour Cup win. At this point he's on an Australian Cup program but it will be very difficult considering he has to go 1400 metres, 1800 metres, 2000 metres in 28 days. Good idea, but it's missing a mile race and another two weeks to be ideal," said Price. The problem with the progression horses are asked to make through the series, Price says, is obvious, but the solution is not so straightforward. Price believes the workload asked to be undertaken by horses contesting the series needs to be reconsidered after the inaugural year. "A lot of trainers know the problem but don't know the solution, and I'm not certainly not whingeing for whingeing's sake, but from a horse's point of view it is a very squashed program trying to get through to the Australian Cup and that might need to be looked at," he said. Race scheduling aside, Price could have scarcely asked more of Callanish during the horse's final barrier trial at Werribee on Monday over 1000 metres when he showed the strength and turn of foot that have taken him to eight successive victories. He won a three-horse trial and had a stress-free day. He was asked to extend from the 400 metres and that was him at his top, and I was pretty happy with the way he went about it," said Price. He's improved [this preparation] but he needs to for where he's going. He's won eight from eight being very well placed so far but he's in the big league now so that picket fence might not last long. On Tuesday morning at Caulfield Price will keep a close eye on 2012 Blue Diamond winner Samaready as she continues her preparation prior to a likely run against Black Caviar in the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes at Flemington on February 16. The brilliant filly will complete a jump out on Tuesday ahead of her return from a disappointing spring campaign.