Odyssey Moon Poised For Champagne Result
- Friday, 17 April 2015 07:26
There have been better two-year-olds than Odyssey Moon this season, yet Rod Northam is certain he has the right horse to win the Champagne Stakes.
Despite nearing the end of an arduous campaign of racing, the colt easily keeps his place as one of Northam's best chances to train a Group One winner although he has lost favouritism for the $400,000 race at Randwick on Saturday.
Odyssey Moon goes into the Champagne Stakes having his seventh start but with a thirst for racing unmatched during the autumn carnival.
After contesting two lead-up races to the Golden Slipper, a midfield finish in the $3.5 million race itself was followed by a place in the Sires' Produce Stakes.
He will be the only horse to run in each leg of Sydney's two-year-old triple crown and Northam expects the colt's no-nonsense attitude to racing to pay off again.
"Anything you throw at him he'll take it and ask for more," Northam said.
"I got him from the yearling sales and then took him to a breeze-up sale and from day one he's been a really tough horse.
"But he doesn't over exert himself on the training track which has helped with his longevity through the preparation."
Odyssey Moon has been overtaken as favourite by the Peter Moody-trained Pasadena Girl.
Less than a length separated them in the Sires' but it was Pasadena Girl who turned in the obvious Champagne Stakes pointer when she made ground from the back to finish fourth.
Bookmakers have Pasadena Girl as short as $2.70 with Odyssey Moon drifting to $4 but Northam says it's not a two-horse race.
"It's no walk in the park," he said.
"Gary Moore's horse (Takedown) goes quite well and John O'Shea's horse (Tarquin) is no slouch either."
O'Shea is on weather watch, adamant he doesn't want conditions too soft for Godolphin colt Tarquin.
Tarquin endured a wide passage without cover when fifth in the Sires' and the Pago Pago Stakes winner gives every indication he will run out a strong 1600m on a suitable track.
Randwick received less than 2mm in the 24 hours before an inspection on Friday morning and the track stayed in the soft range.
