A Listed affair at Hawkesbury in August is a long way from being pre-post favourite for the Melbourne Cup.
For former Irish galloper The Offer, that’s the difference a year has made.
The seven-year-old is on the verge of his third spring campaign for champion Sydney trainer Gai Waterhouse but this year the boom on him isn’t quite as big.
This time last year, he was favourite for the race that stops a nation on the back of a dominant win in the Sydney Cup.
On Thursday, he will carry 61 kilograms in a $100,000 Listed provincial feature.
While Waterhouse wouldn’t rule out another attack on the Melbourne spring carnival, a Sydney Group One appears a more likely target.
“I’d love to send him to something like the Metropolitan, or if he really comes up I’ll take him south,” Waterhouse said.
“He took a little time to warm up, but he’s come back very well.”
The Rowley will be The Offer’s first competitive hitout since he finished eighth in a Listed Race at the Sunshine Coast in June.
The Offer was unplaced in four Melbourne runs last spring with his road to the race that stops a nation ending after he finished unplaced in the Caulfield Cup.
Waterhouse is hoping to see the seven-year-old find the line in his return to racing at Hawkesbury.
“I want to see him fight the finish out,” she said.
The Offer will carry top-weight of 61kg in the Rowley Mile, four kilograms more than Rugged Cross and seven kilograms more than his remaining six rivals.
