Leading English rider Ryan Moore has been booked to ride $51 outsider Odyssey Moon in the Group 1 $3.5m Tooheys New Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
Top English jockey Ryan Moore has been booked to ride Odyssey Moon in the Golden Slipper at Rosehill. Photo by Sarah Ebbett.
Scone trainer Rodney Northam is very excited to have the world’s highest rated jockey on board Odyssey Moon who only gained a start in the Golden Slipper after connections paid the $150,000 late entry fee on Monday.
Odyssey Moon will be Northam’s first runner in the world’s richest two year old race and expects Moore’s riding style to suit the Snitzel colt.
“I’ve never had a Slipper runner so that’s exciting in itself,” Northam told AAP.
“James Harron is the bloodstock manager for the owner Dr Bateman and spoke to Coolmore about getting Ryan Moore to ride Odyssey Moon.
“He has won a Cox Plate and a Melbourne Cup and he is the sort of rider who will suit the horse.
“We hope he can be ridden a bit quieter. He is a much better chaser.”
Moore made a name for himself in Australia during the 2014 Melbourne Spring Carnival with wins on the super Irish galloper Adelaide in the Group 1 $3m Sportingbet Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley and on German stayer Protectionist in the Group 1 $6m Emirates Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington.
Odyssey Moon will be racing in the same Tartan, Dark Green Sleeves, Navy Blue And Dark Green Quartered Cap that the Gai Waterhouse trained Wandjina carried to victory for owner Edmund Bateman in the Group 1 $500,000 Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington on March 7.
Northam is hoping for a middle of the field barrier at today’s barrier draw and would like to see the colt settle back in the field.
“He has been dictated to by drawing one and two at his last two starts so I’d like somewhere between six and ten,” Northam said.
Odyssey Moon scored on debut when he took out the $250,000 Inglis Nursery (1000m) at Randwick on December 13 and has been placed twice from his next three starts.
Two starts back the brown colt made up ground in the straight when four lengths second to Exosphere in the Group 2 $175,000 Pro-Ride Skyline Stakes (1200m) at Warwick Farm on February 28 and then finished closer to the first two when one length third behind Tarquin and Rageese in the Group 2 $175,000 Pago Pago Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill last Saturday.
Latest Golden Slipper market order at Ladbrokes.com.au: $2.80 Vancouver, $4.60 Exosphere, $10 Headwater, $11 Ready For Victory, $13 English, Furnaces, $15 Lake Geneva, $17 Haptic, Speak Fondly, $26 Fireworks, Ottoman, Reemah, Single Gaze $51 Haybah, Odyssey Moon $81 Serenade, $101 Look To The Stars, $201 Racy, Heavenly Hand
