O’Shea’s Starlight assault
JOHN O’Shea relayed a famous quote “Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results” when discussing how Southern Lad could overcome an unfavourable form glitch in the Listed Starlight Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
The seven-year-old gelding spent 18 months out of the winner’s circle prior to scoring the biggest victory of his career in country New South Wales’s biggest sprint – the Ramornie Handicap at Grafton in July.
Southern Lad then returned to competition at Randwick on Melbourne Cup day in a strong Benchmark 100 handicap and made it back-to-back victories when toppling the likes of last Saturday’s $300,000 The Warra winner Eleven Eleven.
“He’s probably going the best of his career,” O’Shea said. “He’s going good.
“I think there’s merit in sending horses to the paddock on a high. He went to the paddock off a strong win and he still had juice left in the tank.
“He’s come back with confidence and fundamentally it’s been about keeping him happy. His trials were first class going into the first-up run, we were optimistic about his chances resuming and he raced accordingly.”
Here’s the part O’Shea has identified that needs to change if Southern Lad is to chalk up three straight wins on Saturday.
After six previous campaigns, the Champion Thoroughbreds galloper remains
a maiden performer second-up while he’s also yet to taste victory at Rosehill from four starts.
“The weight is not going to worry him but he does have a frightfully bad second-up record,” he said.
“We’ve tried to offset that by having a trial in between (his first and second runs).
“There’s a great old philosophy in life. Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results and with him we’ve made some changes.
“To my eye 1100m at Rosehill doesn’t totally suit him with his racing pattern but he’s in good form and is capable of giving a good account of himself.”
Nash Rawiller takes over from the suspended Hugh Bowman who was aboard Southern Lad when the son of Ocean Park won the Choisir Handicap. Rawiller has been aboard the galloper in each of his trials this preparation.
O’Shea will saddle up another two runners at Rosehill on Saturday, Blesk and Kirwan’s Lane who have drawn barriers eight and 17 respectively.