Last year’s Melbourne Cup placegetter Okita Soushi resumes at Moonee Valley on Saturday as he embarks on a spring campaign aimed at going two places better in this year’s Cup.
The Irish-bred entire, trained by Ciaron Maher, finished third in the 2023 Melbourne Cup (3200m) and kicks off his preparation in the Ascend Sales Trophies Handicap (1523m). It will be his first run since January, when he raced over 2000m at Flemington.
Okita Soushi is expected to have three lead-up runs before tackling the Caulfield Cup (2400m) on October 18 and the Melbourne Cup on November 4. Maher’s National Assistant Trainer, Jack Turnbull, said the 1523m assignment is simply the beginning of a carefully mapped path.
“But because of his program and where we want to get to, being the Melbourne Cup, this is a nice starting point,” Turnbull said. “He’s only had the one public jump-out, so naturally there will be good improvement. He will be in the second half and ideally running up behind them and having a really good blow, being race day.”
Okita Soushi missed the autumn after tweaking a branch in a suspensory, an issue that required rehab but not surgery. “He did tweak a suspensory branch, not a full tendon injury, and that is why he had the time off,” Turnbull explained. “We had to rehab it, and he is an entire and he’s a big lad, so we didn’t want to rush him back. He doesn’t like wet tracks, so missing the autumn was an easier thing, although it would have been nice to have been there for the Sydney Cup, but now, being spring, hopefully we can concentrate on better ground.”
The Group 3 Naturalism Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield next month will be his next major step before the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington, then onto the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups.
Maher will also unveil Irish import Go Daddy in the same race at Moonee Valley, though Turnbull expects the 1523m to be short of his best. “He’s there to run well, but I would imagine he will settle towards the back and be running on,” he said. “He’s one we’ll poke up through the handicap system and try and qualify for the Melbourne Cup, if he’s good enough, but being his first racing campaign in Australia, we’ll let him do it, rather than push him to do it.”
The stable also has Detonator Jack engaged, while Running By is more likely to head to Adelaide for the Listed Leon Macdonald Stakes (1400m) at Morphettville Parks. “While she’s Black Type placed, it’s a good opportunity for her to hopefully get a Black Type win on her record,” Turnbull said.
Punters can follow Okita Soushi’s return at Moonee Valley as he begins his road to the Melbourne Cup, with odds and markets available at Australia’s top betting sites.
