Osborne Bulls confirms his promise with Listed win

Osborne Bulls announced himself as a potential spring star with a powerful, last-stride win in the Listed Regal Roller Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday, 18 August.

Already a winner at Listed level in the final start of his previous preparation, Osborne Bulls got his latest campaign started in style.

Given time to find a rhythm by jockey Craig Williams, the lightly-raced five-year-old came from last in a slowly-run race to join the leaders at the 200m and the grind out a determined victory.

“Only a good horse could do what he did today,” Williams said. “The leaders were entitled to have something in reserve, but he got to them and then fought them off. He showed a touch of class.”

Osborne Bulls, a member of the last southern-hemisphere crop of the former Darley stallion Street Cry, has now won eight of his 11 starts and been placed at the other three.

Trainer James Cummings though enough of the him to enter the gelding in the G1 Stradbroke Handicap two months ago, but he failed to gain a start. Another G1, the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes at Caulfield on September 22, is now on the agenda for Osborne Bulls.

“We tried to sneak into a Group 1 with him in the Stradbroke Handicap but he just missed the field, so it’s clear that we have an opinion of him,” Cummings said.

Osborne Bulls got the better of Land Of Plenty to win by a short head with Brave Song in third place.

On the same Caufield card, the evergreen Hartnell indicated he had returned to racing in his usual good form with a second placing in the G2 PB Lawrence Stakes.

One of the best to begin from his wide gate, Hartnell found the fence in the first 150m and then enjoyed a cosy trail behind the leader until he was pushed through along the rail in the final stages.

Hartnell went down by long neck to Showtime with Widgee Turf a further long head away.

While Godolphin celebrated the victory of its son of the ill-fated Street Cry, all of Australian cheered for the stallion’s champion daughter Winx as she registered her 26th consecutive win, and her 19th at G1-level.

Winx won the race named in her honour, the G1 Winx Stakes at Randwick, confirming her place as the world’s highest-ranked racehorse.