John O’Shea has been an infrequent visitor to Canberra for Thoroughbred Park’s feature race meetings, but when he does to come to the nation’s capital his horses invariably run well.
The top Sydney trainer will start Athabascan in Monday’s $200,000 Canberra Cup (2000m), hopeful the former French galloper can not only break through for an Australian win, but also deliver him a career first.
While O’Shea has won the Listed Canberra Guineas twice with Italy (2016) and Eusebio (2017), Bedouin’s second to Benmanang in 2003 is the closest he has come in the Cup.
“I haven’t had many runners,” O’Shea said.
“I might have had one or two runners in the Black Opal when I was at Godolphin, and I ran second in a Canberra Cup once with old Bedouin before he won The Metropolitan.
“I think this horse is just starting to come right.”
A multiple stakes placegetter in France, Athabascan put the writing on the wall at his Australian debut when he made good ground for fourth in the Rosehill Gold Cup (2000m) last spring.
He struck an unsuitable race first-up at Randwick before his condition ran out when fifth to Sir Lucan in the Randwick City Stakes (2000m) last Saturday.
O’Shea said Athabascan was a robust horse who should be suited by the eight-day back-up and would be ready to peak third-up.
“It was good the other day because he got to take a position, he had a good hit-out and he probably just got found out the last hundred (metres) in terms of his condition, so he should have no issues with that on Monday,” O’Shea said.
“He’s going to improve each run and hopefully he improves sufficiently enough to be in the finish of a Canberra Cup.”
Kerrin Mcevoy partnered Athabascan last start and will stick with him in the Cup in what is shaping as a competitive edition of the race.
The classy Arapaho looks set to take his place after being scratched from Sydney on Saturday, while Tulloch Lodge stayer Sacramento returns to defend his title after leading throughout last year.
O’Shea and McEvoy will also team up in the Canberra Guineas (1400m) with Savabeel filly Avebury.
