O’Reilly Cyrus on trial for potential Golden Rose berth
LIAM Birchley knows how to set his horses for the big races and he’s planning on doing again with talented three-year-old this Saturday.
O’Reilly Cyrus will line up in the Hamilton Hotel QTIS 3YO Handicap at Eagle Farm this Saturday and it will need to put in a good performance to gain a possible start in next month’s Group 1 Golden Rose.
Birchley believes its sectionals when it finished fifth last start were good enough to take out a group one and he isn’t worried about the wide barrier draw (15) on Saturday.
“The way things have been at Eagle Farm to date, being drawn wide is no great disadvantage,” Birchley said.
O’Reilly Cyrus finished seventh in the Karaka Million at Ellerslie before heading back across the Tasman and running fifth behind Rebel Miss at Doomben.
Rebel Miss ran 33.31 seconds for its final 600m and O’Reilly Cyrus ran a similar time from the back of the field.
“If the sectionals are right she was very good in her comeback. I have been waiting to get her to the bigger Eagle Farm track,” Birchley said.
“I don’t know how much more prizemoney she will need to get into the field. Some years they don’t get a full field and other years you need a bit to get in.”
O’Reilly Cyrus opened up at $9, but has been steadily backed into $7 at Sportsbet.com.au with the majority of the money being placed on current favourite Smart Devil.
It is currently a $101 chance for the Golden Rose on September 10 where Capitalist holds sway at $4.80.
Birchley will also line up 2015 Karaka Million winner Hardline ($10 at Sportsbet) in the Ubet R85 and it will be looking to get over a wind problem which has plagued its career. It has had two throat operations to correct the problem, but it managed only a 13th place finish in the Ramornie Handicap at Grafton.
Hardline also ran last in a trial last week but Birchley believes a better effort will come on Saturday.
“He never does much in trials and I am expecting a better run on Saturday,” he said.