RAIDERS PRIMED

Those achievements are the result of detailed, long-range planning.

OTI’s Terry Henderson (pictured), a Melbourne Cupwinning owner and successful businessman, scours Europe and Britain on a regular basis for fresh talent.

It is a costly and exhaustive process shared by rivals.

“We try and do most of our buying before Ascot because what happens after Ascot is the prices continue to rise,” he said.

“As we have seen at Tattersalls over the past week, the prices paid there are twice what I’d normally be expecting to pay for those sorts of horses.

“If you have a Melbourne Cup horse, you can program them to come via Werribee through qualifying races, if they’re not qualified, and then bring them down here.”

At the heart of the plan is Werribee.

It offers quality facilities inside a strictly monitored quarantine centre.

“Having Werribee is an enormous benefit,” Henderson said.

“It does give us a real advantage over the local horses that are here, there’s no doubt about that.

“The facilities here are superb. “There are some questions about the suitability of the synthetic track but the grass here is great.

“Most Australian trainers would give their right hand to be able to gallop on this grass, every day if you want to. “It’s a real benefit to the trainers here. “The horses here are getting great attention. There’s nothing like that oneon-one attention. “You pay for it, but it has a great benefit.”

To earn a spot at Werribee requires a decent international rating, meaning most of the horses there are at the level – or beyond – needed to be competitive in Australia.

The onus falls to investors such as Henderson, Darren Dance and other syndicators to find the right horse. Easier said than done.

“You rely on your eye, form, local agents and trainers,” Henderson said. “I’m very big on the clock, that’s why French racing suits me.

“The French tracks tend to be flatter and, with the clock, you can see how fast they go.”

Stringent veterinary backgrounding is also crucial.

“The horses have to be sound, naturally, because we want to have longevity with a horse,” Henderson said.

“It all starts with great vets in Europe. Most of the horses we buy are checked by Andrew Cust at Ballarat, doublechecked as best we can so they can have a long racing life.”