OTI Racing have acquired classy Marco Botti-trained colt Renew who will be set for a Melbourne Cup campaign during the 2014 Spring Racing Carnival.
OTI Racing are hoping that Renew can have the same success in Australia as his stablemate Dandino who finished second in the Melbourne Cup. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
Renew started his three-year-old campaign with an impressive four and a half lengths win in a maiden at Thirsk and worked through the grades nicely to finish his season with a win over a strong field in the Listed Godolphin Stakes (2414m) at Newmarket on September 27.
OTI Racing director Terry Henderson said that he was delighted to purchase the well-bred colt and said that he will remain under the care of Botti, who trains 2012 Melbourne Cup placegetter Jakkalberry and 2013 Caulfield Cup runner-up Dandino, until the end of next year.
“He is a nice Dansili horse called Renew,” Henderson told Racing Ahead.
“He has been with Marco Botti and will stay there for his next campaign.
“He is a very exciting horse and he is impeccably bred.
“His last win at Newmarket over a mile and a half was exceptional.
“He has been very progressive in his three-year-old year, he has won three of his six starts, and he is certainly on the way up.”
The Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) and Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) will be the major goals for Renew in 2014 but Henderson believes that he will need to record a maiden win at Group level to earn a start in either of the prestigious events.
Henderson revealed that the Dansili colt will his first start for OTI Racing at Meydan in March before contesting the Group 3 Dubai Gold Cup (3200m) on the prestigious Dubai World Cup Night on March 29.
He will then return to Europe, with races like the Group 2 Prix Kergorlay (3000m) in France and the Group 2 Yorkshire Cup (2816m) on the agenda, before heading to Australia for the Caulfield Cup in October next year.
“He is qualified for the Cups and he is a rated 106 horse but that normally doesn’t get them in these days,” Henderson said.
“It used to but probably he would need a Group 2 win and hopefully he will get it over in Europe.
“As we have seen, unless you can get 53.kg you are not guaranteed of a run.
“He is going to go the Gold Cup and he goes via a Group 3 race in Meydan early in March.
“Given this horse really likes the firm ground we would hope that he would be competitive there and Marco is of the opinion that he will.
“That will well and truly frank his qualifications for the Cups later on and that is the plan.”
Renew’s sire Dansili will finish the 2013 racing season as the leading Northern Hemisphere sire by Group 1 wins worldwide and has already has past success in Australia; with Foreteller and Permit claiming Group race wins and Dandino finishing second in the Caulfield Cup.
Henderson believes that Dansili is now one of the best sires in the world and is happy that they have found a colt out of a leading sire that has already had success in Australia.
“He is a Juddmonte sire and he is probably up there with the top three sires in the world these days.
“Unlike Galileo, which has a lot of trouble in Australia creating winners, Dansili has been super with Foreteller, Permit and of cause Dandino who was over for the Cup this year.
“He has been one of those sires that has blended into Australian racing well and we hope that the same happens with Renew.”
Renew is the latest imported galloper to join the OTI Racing team in the past few weeks; with another Dansili colt Fledged and the talented Count Of Limonade arriving in Australia recently.
