O’Dea is travelling nicely this season
HAVING border-hopped to watch his winners in Victoria and NSW this week, Brisbane trainer Steve O’Dea says he hasn’t had time for nerves to set in about Sesar’s Group 1 tilt on the Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington tomorrow.
O’Dea’s whirlwind start to the new season has continued this week with Doubt Defying winning last Sunday’s Sale Cup and Navy winning at Randwick’s Kensington track on Wednesday.
It has capped a remarkable month, which began when Doubt Defying and Sesar gave O’Dea a maiden Randwick double on October 6.
“We’ve had a really good start to the season but we had a lot of runners those first couple of months,” he said.
“We had some nice restricted horses and we were able to place them well and get some results but obviously, this month has been extra good for us.
“I’ve been able to travel horses away and it was the first time I was able to get a winner at Randwick with Doubt Defying and then to get a stakes win (Sesar) on the same day.
“Then we’ve won the Sale Cup in Victoria, so it’s been a good months for firsts.”
Eagle Farm-based O’Dea has upped the ante in the past couple of seasons.
He was averaging about 30 winners a year until the stable netted 50 in 2016-17, before leading in a careerbest 73 last term.
But in only three months of the new season, his runners have won nearly half as much money as they did for the entire last season.
“The stable size has got a little bit bigger, I’ve got really good support from good clients, I’ve got a good team in place and it all marries together to get the results,” O’Dea said.
Those clients include Aquis Farm and Jamie Walter’s Proven Thoroughbreds, who are both part of Sesar’s ownership.
Sesar’s win in the Roman Consul Stakes in Sydney matched the previous career best for O’Dea of Sir Moments’ Group 2 Queensland Guineas win.
Now he’s hunting Group 1 glory with the $8 chance at Flemington.