The training partnership of John O’Shea and Tom Charlton is eager to bring the talented colt Napoleonic back to Melbourne.
Having secured three victories from twelve career starts, Napoleonic has only competed once in Melbourne previously, achieving a dominant 4-¼ length win at Moonee Valley on Cox Plate Day last year.
This triumph had those involved with Napoleonic full of optimism for his future, marking it as the son of Wootton Bassett’s most recent success.
The entire is set to return to Melbourne this Sunday to contest the Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield, as the Moonee Valley track is unfortunately undergoing renovations.
“We’re looking forward to getting him back down to Melbourne,” Charlton stated.
“Naturally, he performed well at the Valley as a three-year-old, and we believe he possesses the characteristics to handle Caulfield effectively.
“We’ve been satisfied with his progress. We considered his first-up run in the Missile Stakes to be a very strong performance.
“That race is typically a solid form indicator, and while he’s had some time since that effort, he thrives on a break, and he completed a strong trial last week.”
Following his campaign in Brisbane over the winter, where Napoleonic finished third behind Rothfire and Spicy Martini in the Group 1 Doomben 10,000, the four-year-old colt has not raced since finishing second to Ninja at Randwick on August 8.
He did win a trial at Randwick on September 11, and the Manikato Stakes has been a long-term objective for the entire.
“He’s a horse we are aiming to win a Group 1 with, and this presented a favourable opportunity for him,” Charlton commented.
“This has definitely been the objective since the Missile Stakes, at the very least.”
Charlton mentioned that beyond Sunday’s Group 1 event, there are no concrete plans in place.
“We’ll focus on Sunday first, but there will be numerous opportunities in Sydney or back in Melbourne towards the end of the Carnival,” Charlton added.
“We felt his best performances have likely occurred over 1200 metres, so we are inclined to view him more as a sprinter.”
Betting on the Manikato Stakes is now open with many Australian betting sites.
