Training partners Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra are eyeing off a trip to Brisbane with Odeon who progresses his campaign in the Golden Mile at Bendigo.
Odeon will be second-up in the Listed race over 1600m on Saturday as he builds his fitness towards a hometown target before a trip north.
Zahra said the stable had its sights set on the Group Three Easter Cup at Caulfield on April 20, a race the five-year-old was beaten a length in last year by Shoreham.
Odeon pleased Ellerton and Zahra with his first-up fifth in Listed grade at Flemington on March 16, finishing just over 1-1/4 lengths from the winner Widgee Turf.
“He’s going well,” Zahra said.
“It was a good first-up run and this looks a nice race second-up.
“He’s probably going to need a fraction of luck from the gate (10) but he’s a horse that’s going as well as he’s ever gone.
“He’s sound, he’s well and getting towards peak fitness.”
With only three weeks until the Easter Cup, Zahra said the stable was keen to squeeze another run into the gelding before he lines up in that 2000m-race.
“We’ll have to back him up at some stage,” Zahra said.
“We want to run him in the Easter Cup and then maybe take him to Queensland if he’s going good enough.
“We’re looking at the Hollindale Cup (Gold Coast) and the Doomben Cup.
“They’re the two that we’ll probably go for if he was to win the Easter Cup.”
The Ellerton-Zahra stable has been in good form collecting a winner at Seymour and Sandown on Wednesday.
They have a large team Bendigo bound, including River Jewel in the Bendigo Golden Bracelet with the mare looking to extend her winning sequence to three.
Zahra said the stable was undecided whether Marcel From Madrid would make the trip to run in the Listed Bendigo Guineas.
“He’s drawn 18 and is giving them weight,” Zahra said.
“We’re keen to do it but we’ll sit down with the owners, look at the programming and then make a call.”
