John O’Shea believes Linebacker is in peak condition ahead of the Doncaster Mile, with the rest now in the colt’s hands.
The three-year-old remains the $6 favourite after drawing gate 14 in Tuesday night’s barrier draw. O’Shea is pleased with the campaign, saying, “The things we can control we have under control.”
“He is very fit, healthy, and the preparation has gone exactly as planned,” O’Shea added. “The horse is in great form, the rider (Zac Lloyd) is in great form, and the stable is relaxed.”
O’Shea has followed a similar strategy to that used by Les Bridge for Celestial Legend, who won last year’s race. Both horses won the Randwick Guineas, with Linebacker also given a month between runs and a barrier trial.
O’Shea is confident, especially with Linebacker carrying just 49kg, giving him a weight advantage over seasoned rivals in the field. “It’s a matter of analysing how he lines up against very strong races like the George Ryder and All-Star Mile,” he said.
The barrier draw didn’t shake up the markets much, with Gringotts ($7) and Tom Kitten ($7) holding steady. Japanese raider Geoglyph eased slightly to $26 after drawing the outside gate.