News

Rod Northam Out For Champagne Finish With Odyssey Moon As New Group 1 Campaign Begins

15th Apr 2015

Eden Magnet - by Chris Roots - Wednesday, 15 April 2015

Rod Northam comes to the end of one group 1 adventure with Odyssey Moon in Saturday's Champagne Stakes, while starting other with Big Money in the Hall Mark Stakes at Randwick.

Snitzel two-year-old Odyssey Moon is the only survivor from the Golden Slipper to make it to the third leg of the triple crown after running eighth at Rosehill and then being runner-up behind Pride Of Dubai in the Sires Produce Stakes. He gets to a trip of 1600 metres where Northam always thought he would excel.

"He has always been an athletic type and I bought him because I thought his best trip would be around the mile," Northam said. "I was actually underbidder on his sister [Lunar Snitzel], who won at 1500m at Newcastle and that's why I bought him.

"He is 16.1 [hands] and he still has growing to do, but he is very tough and that helps.

"He was so strong at the end of 1400m in the Sires, I'm convinced he will get a strong mile, even at the end of a long preparation."

Northam bought the Snitzel colt at the Inglis Classic Sale before selling him for $125,000 to Dr Edmund Bateman at the breeze-up sale, who returned him to the Scone trainer. He targeted the Inglis Nursery, which Odyssey Moon won on debut and he has since being placed in two Golden Slipper lead-ups at group 2 level and runner-up in the Sires.

"He has always had ability from the time I first time got him and when I was getting him ready for the breeze-up [sales]. It was great to get him back when they bought him because he was always going to be a nice horse," Northam said.

"He has done a great job to get this far and I think he can get the job done on Saturday."

Northam will also bring rising sprinting star Big Money for the Hall Mark Stakes, which is being labelled "a mini-Stradbroke". Nominations include Our Boy Malachi, Craftiness, Hot Snitzel and Vashka, which starred last summer.

"We are all going to get a good indication of where we sit after Saturday," Northam said. "He is going to be very competitive but there is certainly improvement there because we are aimming at Brisbane."

Bush legend Robert Thompson will come down to ride Big Money as he did in victories in the Ramornie Handicap and George Moore Stakes and Lough Neagh Stakes at Doomben last year, split by an unsuccessful trip south.

"The Melbourne campaign went badly but I was able to take him to Brisbane and get those two wins at Doomben, which was important because that is where the big races are up there this year," Northam said.

"The winter was always going to be a target and I think we are taking a nice horse there that is ready to step up."