Mr O’Ceirin will jump from the outside of the 2014 Doomben Cup field after drawing barrier ten for the Group 1 event and jockey Glen Boss believes that the wide draw is ideal for the tough gelding.
Glen Boss hopes that he will be looking back at his opposition in the 2014 Doomben Cup in Brisbane this weekend. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
Mr O’Ceirin has shown plenty of tactical versatility since making his racing debut in 2010 and Boss told Racing Ahead this morning that he feels barrier ten gives him a number of different options on how to ride the Postponed gelding in the Doomben Cup this weekend.
“I don’t mind it actually and I think that it is a good draw for him,” Boss said.
“He isn’t the quickest out and his first two strides are pretty standard and then he picks up.
“That gives me the option of going forward to lead or he can just sit off them.
“If he draws in and you are not quick away, you get smothered up and all of a sudden you lose your options.
“I am actually happy to be drawn out there.
“He can run along at a very good tempo and sustain it for a good distance or he has the ability to now sit off them and sprint.
“It just makes my job so much easier being drawn out there.”
Mr O’Ceirin returned to racing with a fair 11th in the Group 3 Victoria Handicap (1400m) at Caulfield on April and showed that he can be competitive under weight-for-age conditions when he finished second in the Group 2 Hollindale Stakes (1800m) at the Gold Coast on May 3.
Boss said that he has been happy with the form of Mr O’Ceirin this preparation, as did trainer Ciaron Maher earlier in the week, and believes that the six-year-old is in the best physical condition of his racing career ahead of the Doomben Cup.
“He is good, he has got to the point of his career where he is fully developed and fully furnished as a six-year-old,” Boss said.
“He has been one of the those slow, arduous growing horses and he has a nice little record to date, but he is probably going to have a really good prep this time.
“His first-up run was good, his first-up runs are terrible normally, and his second-up run at the Gold Coast in the Hollindale Stakes he was really brave.
“He looked like he wasn’t quiet furnished fitness wise, his coat wasn’t quite right, and I said to Ciaron (Maher) the only thing that will find us out here is if they stretch it out and make it a really solid 1800 metres race on the heavy 10 and that is basically how it worked out.
“They went strong the whole way and he kicked strong on the bend, but he was just beaten by a very good horse in Streama.”
Mr O’Ceirin is currently available at 2014 Doomben Cup odds of $9; with Streama ($4.20) still a narrow favourite from Leebaz ($4.40), Akzar ($4.80) and Junoob ($5).
