Co-trainer Simon Zahra is bullish about Odeon’s chances in Saturday’s $500,000 2020 Ballarat Cup (2000m), with the camp targeting this race from a long way out.

At the back end of the spring, the 2000m event may be an afterthought for many of the bigger named runners in the field, but Odeon’s preparation has been geared towards peaking on Saturday in his grand final.

“He looks pretty well-weighted, he’s drawn to get a good run and three weeks in between runs is probably the key to him, so I wouldn’t swap him for any runner,” Zahra told racing.com.

“Half a million (prizemoney) probably invites a lot of people to hang on doesn’t it?

“It’s a good incentive for late carnival; obviously an afterthought for some, but it’s a race we have targeted.”

Odeon heads into Saturday’s contest in good form, just going down in both the Cranbourne Cup (2025m), and the Melbourne Cup Day Plate (1800m) behind the talented Purple Sector.

The camp will however have to deal with the suspension of regular rider Jamie Kah, with Daniel Moor set to take the mount with some specific instructions.

“She has got the key to him a bit … but Daniel has been doing a lot of riding for us and he just does as he’s told,” Zahra said.

“Riding him conservative is always the better option because if he gets there too soon, he puts the flag up and thinks he’s done his job.”

Odeon is currently a $12 chance in the 2020 Ballarat Cup.

Horse Win Place
1 So Si Bon (1)J: Damian Lane 62kg T: T Dabernig & B Hayes $14.00 $4.20
2 Harlem (13)J: Craig Williams 61.5kg T: T Dabernig & B Hayes $13.00 $4.00
3 Kings Will Dream (14)J: Michael Rodd 61.5kg T: C J Waller $11.00 $3.50
4 Junipal (11)J: Kerrin Mcevoy 60kg T: C Maher & D Eustace $5.50 $2.15
5 Al Galayel (10)J: Ben Melham 59.5kg T: C Maher & D Eustace $11.00 $3.50
6 Kiwia (17)J: John Allen 59.5kg T: Archie Alexander $26.00 $7.00
7 Pacodali (4)J: Dean Yendall 59kg T: Maddie Raymond $14.00 $4.20
8 Inverloch (5)J: Daniel Stackhouse 57.5kg T: T Busuttin & N Young $26.00 $7.00
9 Plein Ciel (3)J: Jamie Mott 56.5kg T: D T O’brien $14.00 $4.20
10 Affair To Remember (9)J: Mark Zahra 56kg T: Dan O’sullivan $5.50 $2.15
11 Odeon (6)J: Daniel Moor 56kg T: M Ellerton & S Zahra $12.00 $3.80
12 Our Big Mike (2)J: Jordan Childs 56kg T: Brett Scott $51.00 $13.00
13 Furrion (7)J: Luke Nolen 56kg T: T Dabernig & B Hayes $51.00 $13.00
14 Game Keeper (8)J: Luke Currie 56kg T: T & C Mcevoy $20.00 $6.00
15 Double You Tee (16)J: Billy Egan 56kg T: Patrick Payne $17.00 $5.00
16 Power Scheme (20)J: Jye Mcneil 56kg T: T Dabernig & B Hayes $14.00 $4.20
17 Irish Flame (19)J: Michael Walker 56kg T: Brett Scott $18.00 $5.50
18 Mongolian Marshal (18)J: Zac Spain 56kg T: S P Gower $26.00 $7.50
19 Knights Order (12)J: Michael Dee 56kg T: G Waterhouse & A Bott $17.00 $5.00
20 Paradee (15)J: Damien Oliver 56kg T: D T O’brien $9.00 $3.00

 

Author: Will Guest

From Muswellbrook to the Melbourne Cup, Will is mad about all things racing and sport. Spent countless hours in the backyard as a child pretending to be Glenn McGrath, and has been known to get deadly late swing with a taped tennis ball.



This article was originally posted on TheRacingSharks.com.au

By AAP

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *