Doomben 10,000 runner up Osborne Bulls looks unlikely to race again during the 2019 Brisbane Winter Carnival after recording his fifth consecutive Group 1 runner’s up cheque at Doomben last Saturday.
Osborne Bulls. above, is unlikely to have another starts during the 2019 Brisbane Winter Carnival. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
The James Cummings trained Osborne Bulls produced his trademark late finishing burst from last on the home turn to fail by a nose when second to The Bostonian in the Group 1 $800,000 Doomben 10,000 (1200m).
Osborne Bulls kicked off his Autumn Group 1 campaign with two seconds down the Flemington straight in the $750,000 Black Caviar Lightning (1000m) and in the $1.25m Seppelt Newmarket Handicap (1200m).
Cummings then directed his attention to Sydney where Osborne Bulls found the runner’s up stall twice at Randwick in the Group 1 $2.5m Aquis T J Smith Stakes (1200m) and in the Group 1 $600,000 Schweppes All Aged Stakes (1400m).
Osborne Bulls holds nominations for the two Group 1 sprints at Eagle Farm over the next month, the weight for age $700,000 Kingsford-Smith Cup (1300m) and the $1.5m Stradbroke Handicap (1400m).
The five year old gelding is destined to get plenty of weight when the weights for the Stradbroke Handicap are released on May 27 and Godolphin’s Australian Manager Vin Cox said he definitely won’t be at Eagle Farm on June 8 and a run in the Kingsford-Smith Cup is also doubtful and Cox will be happy to see Osbourne Bulls heads to the spelling paddock.
“The original plan was to spell after the 10,000 and that would still be the most likely option,” Cox told The Courier-Mail.
“He definitely won’t run in the Stradbroke and I would say the Kingsford Smith is very unlikely as well.”
Osborne Bulls non-appearance at Eagle Farm will force a reshaping of the betting markets for the both Kingsford-Smith Cup and the Stradbroke Handicap as he currently sits at the top of the betting for both at Ladbrokes.com.au.
Early betting for the Kingsford-Smith Cup sees Osborne Bulls marked as the $3.60 favourite while in the Stradbroke Handicap the five year old is the $6 top pick.
Early betting for the 2019 Stradbroke Handicap at Ladbrokes.com.au: $6 Osborne Bulls, $8 The Bostonian, $9 Champagne Cuddles, $10 Home Of The Brave, Plague Stone, Trekking, $11 Zoustyle, $12 Encryption, $13 Chapter And Verse, Spright, $15 Boomsara, Zousain, $17 Archedemus, Con Te Partiro, Dollar For Dollar, I Am Excited, Iconoclasm, Noble Boy, Outback Barbie, Tyzone, Victorem, Viridine, $21 or better the rest.
