Athabascan will step out for the first time on Australian soil on Saturday, making his debut for the John O’Shea stable at Rosehill on his first day of exit from Sydney Quarantine.
Acquired earlier in 2022, the 4yo entire (3 in French time) continued his racing career under Andre Fabre, racing at black-type level on four occasions and recording three placings in Listed class. In doing so, he lifted his French rating from 42 to 46.5.
Trainer John O’Shea, who has overseen the horse’s preparation from Canterbury Quarantine over the past two weeks, was immediately impressed with his demeanour. “He is a very straightforward horse, shows great scope during his work and is very easy to deal with. He’s settled in super here at the stables and hasn’t left a single oat in his feed bucket.” said O’Shea.
Athabascan arrives with residual fitness from his prepration in France, where he had his last race start just seven weeks ago. He has two options on Saturday, with acceptances lodged to contest either the Rosehill Gold Cup over 2000m or the BM78 Handicap over 1900m, though it’s highly likely he takes his place in the Cup.
It is safe to say that we look forward to seeing what he can do on Australian turf.
See the full field and all race details for the Rosehill Gold Cup here.
Best of luck to all involved!