O'Shea Rates Juvenile Race "Best So Far"
- Friday, 11 November 2011 06:16
John O'Shea expects Saturday's juvenile race to feature the best two-year-old talent seen in Sydney so far this season.
O'Shea will unveil autumn prospect Faustus in the Nova 969 Fitzy & Wippa Handicap (1100m) at Rosehill but is wary of the firepower that could be lurking in the unraced brigade from the powerful Gai Waterhouse and Peter Snowden stables.
Waterhouse, chasing her third two-year-old winner in Sydney in as many weeks, will start impressive trial winner Kuchinskaya while Snowden has three runners including Limes who defeated Faustus in a recent Warwick Farm trial.
"I think he (Faustus) is a really nice colt but he's struck a very, very good race on Saturday," O'Shea said.
"Probably the best two-year-olds to come out this season so far will come out of this race.
"Gai's horse trialled very well, Peter (Snowden) seems to have a couple of nice horses, and we've got a good understanding of what constitutes a nice two-year-old in our stable having had horses competitive in Golden Slippers in recent years."
O'Shea labelled Faustus "the equivalent of a horse like Wanted", who the trainer prepared during his two-year-old campaign which included victory in the Kindergarten Stakes on his way to a Golden Slipper appearance.
Faustus is a son of More Than Ready, sire of two Golden Slipper winners, while the colt's grand-dam is 1998 Melbourne Cup winner Jezabeel.
Whatever Faustus does on Saturday, O'Shea believes he'll be better next preparation.
"I think he'll be very competitive in the autumn," O'Shea said, adding the colt would head to the paddock after Saturday.
O'Shea has five competitive chances on the Rosehill program with unbeaten filly Colorado Claire taking aim in the Bacardi Handicap (1400m), Hendricus in the Number 1 Club Stable Handicap (1300m), Lightinthenite in the Jacob's Creek Sparkling Moscato Handicap (1500m) and Legsman in the Flinders Lane Perfect Fit Shirt Handicap (1900m).
O'Shea utilised the good racing surface at Goulburn for Colorado Claire's debut before the filly scored a convincing provincial win at Kembla three weeks ago.
She is the $2.60 favourite ahead of Sindarin ($3) who impressed in a debut win on the Kensington track.
"Colorado Claire has beaten nothing but she has done it convincingly and ran time both times," O'Shea said.
O'Shea put Hendricus' second-up failure down to a taxing first-up win but said he had flourished since then.
Lightinthenite bounced back from a second-up failure to hit the line well for third to Riva De Lago last time out.
He faces the Con Karakatsanis-trained runner again on Saturday, while Legsman will continue on his path to the Christmas and Summer Cups when he runs third-up over the 1900m.
"I think it's a very competitive day all round for this time of year," O'Shea said.
"I think I've got a nice bunch of young horses going to the races and if we're able to come away with a winner or two that would be great."
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