Barber, a stakes-winning sprinter and former Godolphin runner, is now under the care of Richard Litt and is shaping as a smart purchase for new owners Monarch Bloodstock.
The winner of the 2023 Blue Diamond Prelude, Barber was secured for $215,000 via the Inglis December digital sale by Jason Micallef’s Monarch Bloodstock. While new to the syndication scene, Monarch has already made a splash, and Litt is upbeat about the prospects of their new charge in the Listed Takeover Target Stakes (1100m) at Gosford this weekend.
“He was bought by Jason Micallef from Monarch Racing, which is a pretty new syndicator making his way in the last couple of years in Sydney and he has supported me loads with horses,” Litt said.
“I appreciate him giving him to me and he fits our mould, an older sprinter having a bit of a change of atmosphere.
“Godolphin are always wonderful people to buy off. The horses have always been well looked after, they’re well bred, they’re well everything.”
Litt has made a habit of finding success with former Godolphin gallopers, with Morton’s Fork, Sedition, and Huon all examples. He believes Barber could be next in line to thrive under his care.
Barber resumed with a luckless third at Canterbury last month and Litt thinks there’s improvement to come.
“He is a big, gross horse so he went to Canterbury a little underdone but was unlucky not to win, really,” Litt said.
“His work since then has been excellent. He likes soft ground by the looks of his form and Tyler (Schiller) is back on with 53 kilos.”
While he also held a nomination for a Listed sprint in Brisbane, a wide barrier saw connections target Gosford instead. Queensland remains a likely winter destination, with Barber holding entries for the Doomben 10,000 (1200m) and Stradbroke Handicap (1400m).
“I think he’s exciting and hopefully, he can run really well and then we can take him to Brisbane for the winter. That would be the plan,” Litt said.
“He is sound as a bell and he is an amazingly well looked after horse so I’m very happy to have him.”
Punters interested in backing Barber this weekend or following his Brisbane campaign can find the best promotions and odds across leading platforms on our betting sites list.