OTI Racing’s decision to acquire Northern Hemisphere four-year-old Aesop immediately appeared an inspired selection after Jessica Harrington’s gelding successfully resumed in Ireland on Saturday.
Aesop ($8) settled third last in the 14-horse €21,000 (A$32,000) Follow @CorkRacecourse On Twitter Handicap (2039m) and after being produced widest of all at the top of the 600-metre straight by rider Shane Foley, gradually passed his rivals for a half-length win.
Aesop’s victory was marred by a two-horse fall at the 200-metre mark, albeit the incident not appearing to dilute the merit of his win, while fellow OTI-owned runner Miraan ($3.10 favourite) was safely held midfield, finishing seventh.
Miraan, trained by Johnny Murtagh, was topweight in the field carrying 63.5kg with Aesop carrying seven kilos less at 56.5kg on the track officially rated ‘yielding, yielding to soft in places’.
“He (Aesop) has physically developed into himself and had a gelding operation over the winter and that has helped him,” Harrington’s daughter Kate told Racing TV.
“Shane (Foley) said that’s his minimum distance and he was only doing his best work at the end. He is exciting and one for those staying handicaps going forward.
Aesop is by Make Believe, the sire of Mishriff, and is a half-brother to three-time Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe runner-up Youmzain.
Whilst continual improvement is required, it’s not too hard to envisage Aesop as a probable contender for lucrative 2400 to 2800-metre handicaps later in the European season. He has raced seven times for two wins and a third, finishing fifth behind Wichita on debut at the Curragh in a two-year-old maiden in August 2019 before being safely held at his next two juvenile starts.
Aseop started his three-year-old season with another win over ten furlongs in a three-year-old maiden at Leopardstown on July 1. He then dwelt at the start and got too far back but closed creditably for fourth in the Ulster Derby (2551m), Northern Ireland’s most valuable flat race which is restricted to three-year-olds and was won by Dadzoodart the previous season.
Aesop then made ground behind an all-the-way winner, Springbank, in a similarly strong 2414-metre handicap with winkers first time, finishing third just ahead of Marchons Ensemble.
Marchons Ensemble won his next start on the all-weather at Dundalk ahead of OTI Racing’s Eaglemont, who had finished behind English Derby winner Serpentine on debut, and was subsequently acquired by OTI and carried their colours for the first time when well beaten at his Australian debut last month.
Trained by Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young, Marchons Ensemble only beat one runner home as a $9.50 chance behind Flandersrain in a $125,000 Benchmark 78 Handicap (1600m) on Mornington Cup day (March 20).
CREDIT: Carl Di Iorio for Racing.com
