Irish trainer Willie Mullins will prepare another ‘dual-purpose’ racehorse for OTI Racing following the acquisition of unbeaten French hurdler Obsession.
Mullins has prepared Northern Hemisphere seven-year-old mare True Self to win the past two editions of the Group 3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m) during Melbourne Cup week, the daughter of Oscar commencing her career over hurdles before successfully transitioning to stakes level in Australia on the flat.
OTI Racing’s Terry Henderson confirmed the acquisition of Obsession on Monday, who was owned by Axelle Nègre de Watrigant and Damien de Watrigant, the cousin of Antoine de Watrigant who trained OTI’s Gailo Chop to win the 2015 Mackinnon Stakes.
“It was Willie (Mullins) who actually rang me up about the horse and I said, ‘I know the owners’,” Henderson said.
“So I spoke to the owners and bought Obsession from them and have sent the horse to Willie’s and haven’t began to sell him yet.”
Henderson suggested Obsession may not race in Australia with his form indicating a preference for rain-affected ground.
However, the horse is likely to switch between races on the flat and over hurdles in Europe which may see him participate at the Cheltenham Festival or endurance flat races during Royal Ascot such as the Ascot Handicap (4014m) or Queen Alexandra Stakes (4355m).
“Whether or not he’s good enough to go to Cheltenham (Festival), Willie will work out in a month or more as it’s still early days with him,” Henderson added.
OBSESSION (Tin Horse) double la mise en Haies dans le Prix Petit Fontaine ! C'était une 1re à @Hippo_Auteuil pour ce représentant d' Axelle Nègre de Watrigant et @DWatrigant, entraîné par @tfourcy. @JamesReveley
— Jour de Galop (@Jour_de_Galop) October 11, 2020
📸@ScoopDyga pic.twitter.com/u2iGHfpYrm
Obsession has raced 12 times for three wins, winning his past three starts. The gelded son of Tin Horse won the €18,000 (A$29,250) Prix de Saint-Cyprien (2400m), a low-grade three-year-old handicap at Toulouse on November 11, 2019, by 8.5 lengths on heavy ground.
Original trainer Damien de Watrigant, based at Artassenx in south-west France, then transferred the horse into the care of Thomas Fourcy to Les Mathes on France’s west coast, ahead of his switch over obstacles.
Obsession won his hurdle debut over 3500 metres at Toulouse on September 14 on good ground by 1.5 lengths. He then won his second hurdle race at Auteuil, France’s premier jumping venue, in the €40,000 (A$65,000) Prix Petit Fontaine (3600m) on October 11, scoring as $4.50 second favourite by 12 lengths on heavy ground.
The runner-up in the Auteuil event was Pascasha d’Or, a two-time French flat winner as a three-year-old who was placed behind Azuro over 2500 metres at Deauville in November 2017 with OTI Racing immediately exporting Azuro to Australia following the race.
#Obstacle #Auteuil
— Equidia (@equidia) October 11, 2020
Obsession (@tfourcy – @JamesReveley) s'impose avec beaucoup de marge dans le dernière épreuve du jour, pour ses premiers pas à Auteuil.
Pascasha d'Or et Gamin des Bordes complètent le podium à nette distance. pic.twitter.com/5hYkqlMCER
The acquisition of Obsession comes after Mica Malpic became OTI Racing’s first European jumps winner on debut in a three-year-old hurdle over 3400 metres at Compiegne on June 13.
Inexperienced jumpers in France are routinely scouted by British and Irish owners and Mica Malpic’s performance made him an obvious target for investors.
Irish owner J.P. McManus then purchased Mica Malpic, the horse remaining in the care of leading French jumps trainer David Cottin at Chantilly.