Obamburumai confirmed for the G1 Doncaster Mile
Golden Eagle winner Obamburumai will return to Sydney this autumn for the Doncaster Mile with Josh Parr confirming he has been booked for the Group 1 ride.
Parr partnered the Japanese-trained horse to win the $10 million Golden Eagle in the spring, replacing superstar jockey Yutaka Take , who was injured in a race day incident at Tokyo in the lead-up and unable to make the trip.
Thrilled to again get the call-up from Obamburumai’s trainer Keiji Yoshimura, Parr says the Doncaster is likely to be the horse’s only run, as was the case with his hit-and-run raid on the Golden Eagle.
“He is coming back for the Doncaster and thankfully I have been booked to ride him,” Parr said.
“He will more than likely only have the one run, that being the Doncaster, similar to what he did with the Golden Eagle.
“I think it’s an achievable target. He showed an immense amount of ability winning the Golden Eagle and if he can get here in good order and have a bit of luck, I’d suggest he will be fighting out the finish.
“He’s extremely talented, so professional too for a young horse. His action is faultless and his attitude also, so he just makes a perfect racehorse.”
Obamburumai hasn’t raced since the Golden Eagle (1500m) in November, but he had solid form in Japan prior to his Australian venture, winning three of his five starts in his homeland, two of them at Group level.
Parr is hoping his association with the four-year-old might open the door to an opportunity with the Japan Racing Association down the track.
“The JRA is a jurisdiction that every jockey in the world hopes to get a chance at,” Parr said.
“Who knows what is around the corner, but I really am excited about teaming up with him again.”
Obamburumai is an $11 chance in early Doncaster Mile markets with online betting sites.
More Racing News
Dan Morton keeps faith with 2024 Railway Stakes mare
Trainer Dan Morton has shrugged aside Super Smink’s horror barrier draw and still thinks she can win the Group 1 Swan Draught-Railway Stakes (1600m) at Ascot on Saturday. A layer of complexity was added to Super Smink’s Railway Stakes bid after she was handed barrier 18, but Dan Morton is keeping the...
Timing right for Port Lockroy in G1 Railway Stakes bid
He’s one of five interstate raiders and the outsider of the quintet, but co-trainer, Rob Archibald believes there is a sense of timing about Port Lockroy in Saturday’s Group 1 Railway Stakes (1600m) at Ascot. Rob Archibald, who shares training duties with Annabel Neasham, says Port Lockroy put himself into Railway Stakes...
Royal task for Gilded Water at local debut
A benchmark race on The Gong undercard will add some Royal flavour to the stand-alone Kembla Grange meeting when a horse owned by His Majesty King Charles III makes his local debut. Four-year-old Gilded Water has been sent to Australia to continue his racing career, having started just four times in the...
Jason Collett hoping to find Express lane in The Gong
Jason Collett is resigned to the fact that he will be more reliant on luck than good management as he tries to coax another win out of Territory Express in the $1 million The Gong at Kembla Grange. The Provincial-Midway Championships Final victor in the autumn, Territory Express has a get-back racing pattern...
Improving trio to fly flag for Godolphin at Kembla Grange
Godolphin doesn’t have a representative in The Gong, but James Cummings is content to rely on a trio of up-and-coming sprinters to carry the stable’s hopes at the stand-alone Kembla Grange meeting. Fleetwood will headline the leading yard’s squad when he resumes in the Group 3 The Warra (1000m), while Pisanello and Restonica contest benchmark...
Mark Walker aims for ‘new’ hometown Cranbourne Cup
Trainer Mark Walker has a good record when in form New Zealand gallopers land in Australia. Walker’s latest ‘import’ is It’s A Wild Night who will have his first Australian outing in the Listed Cranbourne Cup (1600m) on Saturday. It’s A Wild Night arrived at Walker’s Cranbourne base just over a week ago...
Railway Stakes 2024 timing perfect for Baker’s Bel
In-form mare Belclare will need to overcome a wide alley to land her first Australian Group One win in the Railway Stakes at Ascot, and connections believe Nash Rawiller is the perfect man for the job. A two-time victor at the highest level in New Zealand, Belclare joined the Sydney stable of Bjorn...
Trainer Gavin Bedggood chasing Fortune in The Meteorite
Gavin Bedggood hopes the decision to take Oscar’s Fortune to Cranbourne for a midweek gallop will pay off handsomely on Saturday. Oscar’s Fortune runs in the $1 million The Meteorite (1200m), a new ‘slot race’ that Southside Racing, a merged entity of the Cranbourne and Pakenham Clubs, runs for the first time. The former...
John Stewart eyes Melbourne with 2024 Japan Cup fancy
Goliath faces one of the toughest tasks in racing this weekend, beating the Japanese at home in their biggest race, but John Stewart is already planning his next moves with his star recruit and Australia is on the itinerary. The ambitious American has quickly become a powerful investor in Australian racing and...
Hedged poised to give The Warra rivals a trim-up
The Magic Millions carnival is the campaign focal point for promising sprinter Hedged, but trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr are hoping he can knock off a feature race along the way. The gelding will resume in the Group 3 The Warra (1000m) at Kembla Grange on Saturday, his first start...