French-bred galloper Barade continues his Tasmanian campaign this afternoon when he contests the Group 3 Launceston Cup over 2400m (Race 8 – 5:01 pm).
The Archie-Alexander trained gelding heads to the race in excellent shape, with leading Sydney jockey Brenton Avdulla booked to ride from barrier thirteen.
Barade is off the back of a solid third placing in the Group 3 Hobart Cup, where he finished behind Double You Tee and Classic WeiWei, who he meets again today. He comes up against a similar field to the Hobart Cup but meets Double You Tee 4.5kg better off, which will give him a significant advantage.
OTI’s General Manager, Shayne Driscoll, said the imported galloper had come through his Hobart Cup run well and was a big chance in the race.
“He’s had an easy fortnight in between runs and worked strongly in his gallop at Devonport last week. Adam Trinder, who has been looking after him in Tasmania, reports that he is very well and enjoying his time in Tasmania, which is terrific,” Driscoll said.
“Ideally, we’d like to see him jump well, settle in a midfield position in the run and demonstrate his sustained speed to finish off strongly. If things go his way, we think he will be hard to beat,” he added.
OTI acquired Barade in 2018 in France. The Havana Gold gelding was bred in France but spent his two-year-old year in Sweden. He came to Australia with impressive European form, including winning a Listed race at Chantilly and finishing second in the Swedish Derby.
Taking some time to acclimatise to Australia, Barade found his form in his second Australian preparation. From his last eight starts, he has won three and placed in four races.
We wish Barade’s owners the best of luck in the Launceston Cup this afternoon!
