The appearance of exciting two-year-old Ozzmosis is set to be one of the highlights of the Bob Charley Stakes meeting at Randwick as the youngster steps up to Saturday grade for the first time.
A $250,000 Magic Millions purchase, the Zoustar colt created a strong impression with three impressive barrier trial wins and backed those up on race day with a facile two-length victory on debut at Gosford last month.
He heads to town for Saturday’s Robrick Lodge Handicap (1100m) and with James McDonald in Brisbane for the Stradbroke Handicap day program, apprentice Dylan Gibbons has snared the prized mount.
Trainer Bjorn Baker isn’t one to get carried away by a horse’s potential after one race, but he is looking forward to seeing how Ozzmosis handles his latest test.
“Dylan Gibbons is booked to ride him there and he should run well,” Baker said.
“It’s just one step at a time, we don’t get carried away.
“It’s a big jump up on Saturday, let alone after that, but he’s a nice horse and he won well first-up.”
Ozzmosis has drawn barrier seven and will have 10 rivals, six of them last-start winners headed by Fleetwood from the powerful Godolphin yard and improving colt Mafia for Peter and Paul Snowden.
The Snowdens will also saddle-up Wyong Magic Millions winner Sovereign Fund, who returns to Sydney after an unplaced effort in the Champagne Classic in Queensland where he finished just over two lengths from subsequent BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes winner and J J Atkins hopeful Cifrado in the Group 2 race.
With the early scratching of Fox Fighter, the feature Bob Charley AO Stakes (1100m) has attracted a field of 13, including last year’s winner Dragonstone who will be striving to become the first horse to capture successive renewals since Hot As Hell in 1998-99.
Trained by the Hong Kong-bound Mark Newnham 12 months ago, Dragonstone is now with Joe Pride and tackles the race second-up after a promising stable debut when closing for fifth to Conscript over the same course and distance last month.
