CHRIS Waller has always considered Osipenko a star in the making and he proved with his second-up victory in the Group 2 Hobartville Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill he’s ready to deliver.
Last spring Osipenko demonstrated his potential with his third in the Caulfield Guineas but Waller said it’s a bigger, stronger and speedier horse this time round.
Waller’s options for his next start are the Australian Guineas or the Randwick Guineas both over 1600 metres and amazingly held on the same day of March 4.
[bet-us-5]
Waller hasn’t locked in Osipenko’s next start either but it will be in a $1m Group 1 race over 1600m – either the Randwick Guineas at Randwick or the Australian Guineas at Flemington with both run on March 4.
His jockey Nash Rawiller said Osipenko had a great run compared to his first-up fifth in the Eskimo Prince.
“I was a lot happier after we stepped a bit better today.To only finish three and a half lengths off them I thought was very credible and thankfully the owners have stuck solid and given me another chance,” Rawiller said.
“It just worked out perfectly for him today, he’s a horse with good ability.”
The other story from the race was the failure of the boom three-year-old colt Aft Cabin who had the tough run this time around and weakened to finish fifth.
His jockey Tim Clark said Aft Cabin had a tough run.
[bet-us-5]
“He had to do a bit of work in the early stages. He couldn’t get a spot anywhere. I had to roll up outside the leader. By that point of the race he had done a fair bit of work. Just probably left a bit vulnerable late,” Clark said.
Win a share of the $750 prize money pool in our Sydney racing tipping competition that runs every Saturday.
[bet-us-4]
