The Chris Waller camp had a successful weekend Australia-wide and OTI horses played a small part in their success; with a city winner at Doomben and three close-up placings – two of which were black-type performances.
The ultra-consistent Le Juge continues to pay his way for connections when winning the Class 6 at Doomben on Saturday. Champion trainer Chris Waller has plenty of talented horses in his stables, but few as consistent and as tough as Le Juge. Despite wanting to hang in the straight, Le Juge has now made it four wins in his past six starts – being too strong at the finish for Dansez. Jockey Robbie Fradd was rapt with Le Juge’s effort and said he is the type of horse who always tries and puts in his best efforts. We look forward to seeing Le Juge step up in grade throughout the upcoming Brisbane Winter Carnival.
Below: Le Juge’s Doomben win on Saturday
In the Group 3 Doncaster Prelude at Rosehill, Chris Waller took out the trifecta with OTI’s Tom Melbourne finishing a solid third. Running an honest race, he settled nicely behind the speed before working home in the heavy 9 track – on a less than ideal surface coming up the inside of horses. We are pleased with his return after a beach work freshen up in Warrnambool and will look to space his races accordingly.
The Listed Golden Mile at Bendigo was also a Chris Waller affair this weekend, with Mantastic running second to stablemate Haripour in the mile contest. Getting away tardily from the barriers, jockey Michael Walker ensured he found a good position with cover, settling within the second half of the field. Coming into the straight, Mantastic worked through his gears impressively and powered home late to go down by just 1.5 lengths. With the winner too strong, we are hopeful Mantastic can secure a Victorian win in the near future this preparation.
Below: Mantastic running second to stablemate Haripour at Bendigo in the Golden Mile.
Our UK-import Dark Pearl continues to search for his first win in Australia, going down by just half a length to the consistent winner Mosh Music. Having drawn one of the widest barriers, Dark Pearl made his presence known, being a touch aggressive to hold his position midfield after making his way across the track. Very honest to the line for jockey Michael Dee, he was pleased with the effort and believes that now he has had a run over the 2400m trip he will relax a little easier next start.
OTI have had a close association with the Waller team for a number of years and are thrilled to see the horses being well placed and performing to the best of their ability in some quality races. We look forward to seeing these runners back on the track in the coming weeks. Until then, happy racing!
