Odyssey Moon was a consistent performer as a juvenile and trainer Rodney Northam has revealed that the 2015 Caulfield Guineas will be the main aim for the talented colt in the spring.
Odyssey Moon was competitive against the likes of Pride Of Dubai, Vancouver and Pasadena Girl during the 2015 Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival. Photo by: Steve Hart
Odyssey Moon stamped himself as a horse to watch when he finished second behind Exosphere on the Group 2 Skyline Stakes (1200m) at Warwick Farm on February 28 and he performed well without winning in the Group 2 Pago Pago Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill Gardens on March 14, the Group 1 Golden Slipper (1200m) at the same venue on March 21 and the Group 1 Sires Produce Stakes (1400m) at Royal Randwick on April 6 before he was sent to the spelling paddock after a flat effort in the Group 1 Champagne Stakes (1600m) at the same venue a fortnight later.
Northam was delighted with the autumn campaign of Odyssey Moon and he plans to give the Snitzel colt the opportunity to compete at Group level during the 2015 Spring Racing Carnival, with the Scone-based trainer confident that the rising three-year-old can be competitive in the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) on October 10.
“He is going to go straight to Melbourne,” Northam said.
“He will probably trial at the end of next week at Randwick and then he will have another trial about ten days later and then head to Melbourne for the McKenzie at Melbourne.
“I think that he is definitely a miler and I think that he would get 2000 metres, but whether he would get a Derby trip I am not sure.
“We will gauge as we go.
“The Caulfield Guineas will be his main aim and we will be looking to run in that fourth run in.
“I think that it is quite even and if you look at the finish of the Golden Slipper, I think that we got beaten only 2.8 lengths and finished eighth.
“Depending on how a few of them come back as three-year-olds, I think that luck in running could play a part in a few of the races.”
Odyssey Moon was sent straight to the spelling paddock following his once-paced effort in the Champagne Stakes, but he has now been back in work for over a month and Northam could not be any happier with the Sires Produce Stakes runner-up ahead of his 2015 Spring Racing Carnival campaign.
“I am really happy with his progress,” Northam said.
“He had a nice little spell and he has been back in the stable with me now for five weeks.
“He has progressed really nicely.
“He has definitely developed and filled out a little bit.
“He was a pretty tough two-year-old, he is quite a bit horse and he is still filling out.
“He is probably still going to be better in the autumn.”
Odyssey Moon has only recorded one win from his seven race starts, but he has already accumulated over $400,000 in prizemoney for connections.
