Darryl Sherer
Simon Zahra, who trains in partnership with Matthew Ellerton, is confident Zacinto gelding Odeon will show he is on-track for a good spring when he contests Saturday’s Harrolds Handicap (1519m) at Moonee Valley.
"This is normally a really good race for Caulfield Cup horses," Zahra said.
"Boom Time ran third in it last year and there is always a bit of form that comes out of the race, so we'll be looking for a good effort from him (Odeon) as part of his Caulfield Cup campaign.
"Odeon is going the best he's ever gone. I thought his work on Monday (at The Valley) was super and his times suggested that.
"He did it pretty much under his own steam."
The 1500m race that generally signals an end to Saturday winter racing in Melbourne has thrown up quite a few of spring's feature winners, with the likes of Boom Time, Almoonqith and The United States using it in recent years as a springboard to better things.
Odeon ran an eye-catching third when first-up at Flemington over 1400m and Zahra said the horse has improved sharply since.
"He's just drawn that sticky gate (11) again tomorrow," he said. "We might just have to ride him with a bit of cover to finish off but once we get to the mile, we'll see the best of him but he's definitely not out of it on Saturday."