The navy and gold silks will be on show in the Listed Heatherlie Stakes at Caulfield this Saturday, with three OTI spring contenders accepting for the race.
Gallic Chieftain (Barrier 12) and Haky (Barrier 9) begin their spring campaigns in the race over 1700m, whilst it will be Mantastic’s (Barrier 16) second-up run in his preparation.
Stablemates Gallic Chieftain and Haky have been working well together according to trainer Archie Alexander. Alexander is looking forward to kicking off their preparations and has one eye on the Melbourne Cup, with both horses nominated for the coveted race.
It was a wintery morning @ballaratturfclub yesterday, but Spring was definitely in the air. Gallic Cheiftain, Haky and Young Rascal continued their Spring preps with a racecourse gallop. @OTIRacing @NeilFarley07
— Archie Alexander (@archi3alexander) August 13, 2020
@geraldpard@JohnnyA_24 pic.twitter.com/W9Vq5nLWIQ
Alexander expects Gallic Chieftain to be competitive with jockey Damian Lane riding. “He’s in great form, and hopefully this can be another good prep for him,” Alexander commented on the eight-year-old.
With Declan Bates aboard, Haky should also put in a strong showing. “He’s a horse that will get better the further we go into the prep, but I’m very happy with him,” Alexander stated.
Mantastic will also contest the race, in his second-up run following a 12-month spell due to a tendon injury.
Trainer Chris Waller commented that he has taken significant improvement from his first-up run at Flemington earlier this month. And whilst he has drawn an awkward barrier, Waller is hoping he’ll be able to “finish off strongly over the concluding stages” with Damien Thornton aboard.
OTI wishes connections of all three horses the best of luck!
