OTI has runners engaged at Swan Hill, Randwick, Flemington and Edenhope this weekend. With winter now upon us, our winning chances may well be dictated to by the state of the tracks presented to us on race day.
Araaja will be seeking to notch her first Australian win at Randwick on Saturday. Since arriving in Australia, this 4yo mare has thrived under the tutelage of Chris Waller. In her last start three weeks ago, she finished 3rd, but caught the eye of many with her final sectionals. Despite being impeded multiple times in the straight, she recorded the fastest final 600 (34:98) and 200m (11:92) splits when going down by half a length. The stable is confident in her chances and believe she’ll be hard to beat.
At Flemington, Mantastic is set to make his Australian debut for Darren Weir. This gelding is a European-bred son of Fastnet Rock and is highly talented. From his 3 starts in France, he recorded the one win and two third placings. His recent jump outs for the Weir stable have been promising and indicate that he’ll be in the finish on Saturday.
Also on Saturday, we have Mighty Quinn heading up to Swan Hill to break his maiden. The 2100m trip should be ideal and his two runs this preparation have been very encouraging. The wet track is a query.
The weekend will round out with Urban Royal, who will is looking for some confidence after an extremely disappointing run last start. Matt Cumani reports that her work has been positive since that run, so let’s hope she can return to the winner’s circle.
Best of luck to all our partners!
