Stroll in the park for O'Dea/Hoysted stable

by Andrew Smith

The Steve O’Dea and Matt Hoysted partnership is confident filly Stroll will be up to the challenge in the Group 3 Magic Millions Vo Rogue Plate at Doomben on Saturday.

The stable will ramp up the three-year-old’s preparations for next month’s Magic Millions Raceday, following a quiet week after her win in the Channel 7 Mode Stakes on December 3.

“She had a little week’s fresher down at Kolara Lodge off the back of that win in the Mode Stakes, just to get her out of the stables with her obviously going a month in between (races),” Matt Hoysted said.

“The last two Tuesday mornings she’s gone over to Doomben and had a gallop on the course proper there with stablemate Contemptuous, and we couldn’t be any happier with the way that she’s worked.

“She’s very much nice and fit now so we don’t have to do a hell of a lot with her.

“She obviously runs Saturday and there’s a couple of weeks into Millions so very much up to the mark so just a matter of keeping her nice and happy at the moment which she definitely seems to be and can’t see why she can’t hold her form.”

Hoysted said he was delighted with Stroll’s strong showing in the Mode Stakes to hold off a fast-finishing Chinny Boom over the 1200m.

“We knew she would have a fair bit of improvement in her off her first up run, she went into that race pretty soft and she tightened up a hell of a lot from going into her second up run,” he said.

“She’s a filly with a hell of a lot of class and she was able to get a beautiful ride by Boris that day (December 3) so probably more merit in the wind than the margin reflects, that was a strong head wind down the back straight that day.

“So it was good to get that second Stakes win for her and she’s come on again since then so looking forward to Saturday.”

Hoysted is also hopeful a switch back to 1200m will help guide Stroll stablemate Enterprise Pomme to victory on Saturday.

The four-year-old will also line up at Doomben in the Magic Millions Nudgee Stakes, off the back of finishing sixth in the 1350m Channel 7 Class 6 Handicap on Christmas Eve.

“It’s obviously not the most ideal scenario going 1350 back to 1200 in a week but she’s a tough mare, she probably just hasn’t been coming back mid-race in these 1350s her last two,” Hoysted said.

“She’s obviously a quality mare - she ran fourth in a Group race in Sydney early in her career and she’s been consistent.

“She’s probably just struggled taking that next step from three-year-old to Open company this preparation taking on the older horses, but she’s a tough girl.

“She’s bounced through that run really well and she’s been lovely and bright.

“As long as she draws well there, we’ll definitely make a call at the end of the week if she’s going to take her place.”

Canadian Dancer will line up in the Ladbrokes Mates Mode Benchmark 72 Handicap 1615m.

A step up in distance, coupled with the drop back down to Benchmark grade, has Hoysted bullish about the four-year-old’s chances.

“She’s obviously a stakes winner over a mile and this prep’s been building into that sort of distance,” he said.

“She’s a dual acceptor into a ratings race down in Sydney as well…if she was to draw soft in Sydney she’ll probably take her place down there in a Benchmark 78 and getting out to that mile and back to ratings races suits her well.

“She’s a mare now, we’ve got a real sort of nice opinion of her and as she keeps getting older and getting up to that mile distance which is probably her pet trip we can really see that improvement.”

A successful Saturday showing at Doomben would cap off an outstanding year for the O’Dea/Hoysted stable who took home the Darby McCarthy Performance of the Year gong at this year’s Queensland Thoroughbreds Awards night.

The honour came on the back of the stable's unbelievable 26 per cent metropolitan strike rate.

“It was very humbling, it was a fantastic year for everyone involved in the stable with all the staff behind us as well,” Hoysted said.

“To get that recognition, we weren’t expecting it but very much grateful to be able to get that.”

“It was definitely an injection of some nice quality horses; it’s really been a nice buying of nice yearlings over the last few years.

“We’ve been able to increase our numbers and we’re able to hold that strike rate.

“We haven’t had the most luck this year - we’ve had a hell of a lot of placings, where some of those were more winners last preparation so still really happy with the way the team’s going.

“We’ve got a real nice young crop of horses behind us including two-year-olds and three-year-olds now so once they can start stepping out as well, we can continue having a bit of luck with those.”