Sydney trainer John O’Shea has an exceptional strike-rate with his team when he heads over the border into Melbourne.
He had a good carnival last spring with a number of strong performances including three winners from four runners during Melbourne Cup week.
O’Shea was in Melbourne last week to watch Minhaaj run in the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield, but the mare struck interference during the race and wound up in tenth position.
In a bid to dodge the big wet and extremely heavy tracks in Sydney, O’Shea has sent a small team to Melbourne for the feature days at Flemington.
Lost And Running and Quantico have headed south to run in the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) on Saturday week and in preparation for that assignment, both will contest a jump-out down the Flemington straight on Friday.
Joining the pair in their new lodgings at Flemington for the autumn is the lightly raced Jai Lei who is set to contest the Group 3 Frances Tressady Stakes (1400m) on Saturday.
Jai Lei has only had five starts registering three wins.
She scored a maiden win at Kembla Grange at her second start before progressing to a win on the Kensington circuit last August.
After a break, Jai Lei returned to win first-up at Canterbury before jumping to stakes company finishing tenth to Fangirl and Espiona in the Group 2 Light Fingers Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on February 12.
O’Shea has always held a healthy opinion of the filly but is loath to run her on very heavy ground despite winning on a soft track to open her latest campaign.
“We’ve just tried to duck and weave the best we can,” O’Shea said.
“Her run in the Light Fingers was very, very good. She just got held up and had no luck, but her work since has been superb and she is ready to go.”
