Trainer John O’Shea combined with stable jockey James McDonald to collect four winners at Rosehill today when Havana Cooler stormed home to take out the Group 3 $150,000 Hyland Race Colours Doncaster Prelude (1500m).
Havana Cooler was having his first run back since running third in the Group 3 $300,000 Lexus Stakes (2500m) at Flemington on the first day of the 2015 Melbourne Cup Carnival and a first class training performance from O’Shea saw the English import record his first win on Australian soil.
O’Shea and McDonald had teamed up earlier in the day to record wins with Federal in the Security Handicap (1400m), It’s Somewhat in the Group 3 $150,000 The Daily Telegraph Neville Sellwood Stakes (2000m) and with Old North in the Group 2 $175,000 Tulloch Stakes (2000m).
“All our horses really ran well and we are really happy with how they turned up,” O’Shea said.
“James was at his stellar best today which is always good to have him like that.”
“It was a wonderful team effort.”
Havana Cooler will now be set for the Group 2 $300,000 Brisbane Cup (2400m) at Eagle Farm during the Brisbane Winter Carnival and O’Shea will now have to map out a program for the six year old stayer.
“That is ultimately where he is headed. Just on how we get there I don’t know,” O’Shea said.
“We will just space his runs every three weeks and he will have a couple of more runs before going there.”
McDonald settled Havana Cooler ($7.50) in the second half of the field and he finished too strongly to beat Cosmic Cube ($6.50) by a neck with Rudy ($10) fighting to the line for third a further half a length away.
Sadler’s Lake ($5.50) was sent out as the favourite even though he had drawn the outside barrier but after crossing to the front, faded in the straight to wind up in tenth spot.
Doncaster Prelude Results
Finish | No. | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Margin | Bar. | Weight | Starting Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 9 | HAVANA COOLER (IRE) | John O’Shea | James McDonald | – | 3 | 54.5kg | $7.50 |
2 | 14 | COSMIC CUBE (NZ) | David Vandyke | Blake Spriggs | 0.2L | 9 | 54kg | $6.50 |
3 | 10 | RUDY | Helen Page | Craig Williams | 0.7L | 8 | 54kg | $10 |
4 | 15 | SNIPPETS LAND | Peter & Paul Snowden | Thomas Huet | 0.8L | 6 | 54kg | $15 |
5 | 5 | AMOVATIO | Chris Waller | Damien Oliver | 1.5L | 15 | 56kg | $8.50 |
6 | 6 | HAWKSPUR | Chris Waller | Jason Collett | 1.6L | 10 | 56kg | $101 |
7 | 2 | BEATEN UP (GB) | Chris Waller | Hugh Bowman | 2.3L | 4 | 57kg | $9 |
8 | 11 | DANCES ON STARS (NZ) | Gerald Ryan | Tim Clark | 2.4L | 7 | 54kg | $6 |
9 | 4 | MORIARTY (IRE) | Chris Waller | Opie Bosson | 2.7L | 12 | 56.5kg | $101 |
10 | 8 | SADLER’S LAKE | Chris Waller | Blake Shinn | 3.2L | 16 | 55kg | $5.50F |
11 | 3 | ROCK STURDY | Joseph Pride | Dwayne Dunn | 3.4L | 14 | 57kg | $9 |
12 | 7 | INDEX LINKED (GB) | Chris Waller | Glyn Schofield | 3.8L | 2 | 56kg | $101 |
13 | 13 | SHOREHAM | Gerald Ryan | Brenton Avdulla | 3.9L | 13 | 54kg | $61 |
14 | 16 | SPY DECODER (NZ) | Anthony Cummings | Daniel Moor | 4.3L | 11 | 54kg | $26 |
15 | 12 | MAGICOOL | Chris Waller | Tommy Berry | 4.4L | 1 | 54kg | $31 |
16 | 17 | TREMEC (NZ) | John P Thompson | Craig Newitt | 6.9L | 5 | 54kg | $101 |