Ciaron Maher is set to debut two European imports at Saturday’s Caulfield meeting.
Saint George will make his Australian debut in the Listed Heatherlie Stakes (1700m), while Okita Soushi will have his third Australian start, but first under Maher.
Both horses hold Caulfield Cup nominations for the prestigious event on October 19, with Saint George also eyeing the Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 26.
“He’s coming along well, and in the third jump-out, he probably lacked that sharpness he showed in his first two,” Maher’s assistant trainer Jack Turnbull said of Saint George.
“He’s a Cups horse that will be out the back and running on hopefully, and then we can go to 2000 metres and go on from there. He’s a nice colt with a lot of quality and is one out of the box.”
Regarding 2023 Royal Ascot winner Okita Soushi, who placed 12th in the Caulfield Cup and 11th in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) last year under Joseph O’Brien, Turnbull added:
“He’s a horse that wants ground, and the 2000 metres is the absolute minimum. He’s still an entire, and his fitness is good—it’s just a matter of getting the miles into his legs.
“He’s been hard to get a guide on. If I was to compare him to something we already have, he’s an Interpretation type.”
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