Richard Litt has been buoyed by a forecast for rain in Sydney ahead of his two-pronged assault on the Razor Sharp Handicap at Randwick.
Litt will saddle up Barber and Romeo’s Choice and has no qualms about a wet track for either, particularly Romeo’s Choice.
“He absolutely loves the wet. The wetter the better,” Litt said.
“Where he lacks a length-and-a-half on really good ground, he will make that up by two or three lengths on soft ground.
“They’ve both drawn a little bit tricky, but if the rain comes, it might work in our favour.”
A former Godolphin galloper, Barber was bought by syndicators Monarch Bloodstock in an online sale and delivered an immediate return with his win in the Takeover Target Stakes (1200m) at Gosford in May.
Conversely, Romeo’s Choice is a modestly pedigreed son of little-known stallion Choistar and a home bred.
He has seven wins and 15 placings from 40 starts, banking more than $500,000 and Litt admits he has a soft spot for the gelding.
“He’s not a fashionably bred horse. He wasn’t an expensive yearling. He is a homebred by some wonderful owners who have brought him up like a child in their own backyard,”‘ Litt said.
“I get a great thrill out of him running all the time because he always tries. You never, ever go to the races thinking, is he coming today or is he not coming today? He is always there, always shows up.”
Litt has a small team in work, but the stable has been firing with four winners in the past two weeks.
Best known as the conditioner of dual Group 1 winner turned sire Castelvecchio, he says he has deliberately focused on targeting the off-season meetings this year and is hoping his recent momentum can continue.
“We’re not hugely active throughout the carnival with topline horses, so this year we have focused on holding horses back a little bit and aiming for this time of year that’s not as strong as carnival time,” he said.
