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By Ray Hickson

Trainer John O’Shea is looking to bolster his TAB Everest stocks in 2022 with emerging sprinter Quantico ready to step up to the big leagues and join stablemate Lost And Running on a path towards the nation’s premier sprint.

Trainer John O'Shea (Pic: Bradley Photos)

The five-year-old is being set to prove himself at Group 1 level in March and attract Everest attention and he kicked off in a star studded 800m trial at Warwick Farm on Thursday, finishing sixth behind Home Affairs.

Speaking on Sky Sports Radio, O’Shea outlined his autumn plans for Quantico, Maximal, Promise Of Success and Benaud - who all trialled at the Farm.

O’Shea said Quantico, a last start stakes winner at Flemington in the spring, will resume in the Group 3 Southern Cross (1200m) at Randwick on February 12 then head to the Group 3 Liverpool City Cup (1300m) two weeks later and the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap.

“Quantico has a really good record anyway and we think he is on track to make it into the Everest field at some stage this year,’’ O’Shea said.

“We’re going to work towards gaining him a start.

“He’s a horse we brought along steadily and we have the feeling he has made the transituion to the next level on the strength of a breakout preparation last time.”

Lost And Running was snapped up by TAB for last year’s Everest on the back of winning six of his first seven starts including his first stakes win in the Luskin Star last May.

He finished fourth behind Nature Strip and showed he’d be a 2022 force in a runaway win in The Hunter (1300m) in November. Quantico, who has won six of his 10 starts, is not unlike Lost And Running according to the trainer.

“He’s a similar horse to Lost And Running but I’d suggest he’s a bit more forward to when he was trying to break into the Everest,’’ he said.

“He’s a promising horse and a horse that can make his presence felt when he does get there.”

Import Maximal is being set on a path that O’Shea used with success in 2015 with Godolphin galloper Contributer by eyeing the Apollo Stakes-Chipping Norton double.

The four-year-old, sixth in the Golden Eagle after drawing the outside alley, ran third in the same heat as Quantico and O’Shea said the break has been huge for the horse who will trial again before the Group 2 Apollo (1400m) on February 12.

“I’m of the opinion that Maximal has made tremendous improvement since his break, he’s strengthened up significantly and has got a bit of speed in his legs,’’ he said.

“Hopefully that reflects in his performances in the next couple of weeks. He’s a similar horse to Contributer at the same stage.

“He’s developed into a really good sprinter-miler type. We were pleased with what he showed this morning.

“He was a bit fresh out there which is understandable, his first foray back to the races so he was a bit excited to be there.”

The Group 1 Coolmore Classic (1500m) is O’Shea’s aim for Promise Of Success who was last seen in a dynamic win on TAB Everest day.

O’Shea said her late scratching from a stakes race at Flemington following that Randwick win wasn’t ideal when it comes to forcing her way into the fillies and mares Group 1 and hopes she can hit the ground running when she resumes.

The mare finished seventh in her 795m trial at Warwick Farm.

“She’s going to have to get a wriggle on early in the prep to make sure she makes the field,’’ he said.

“She’s an outstanding mare, she’s finally acclimatised now. We could never quite get her coat right, this time she has acclimatised and I think that will reflect on the track.”

Maximal and Quantico contest a Warwick Farm trial on January 20

Derby hope Benaud has been gelded since the spring and O’Shea is confident he can be a major rival for boom colt Profondo in the autumn especially if the tracks are forgiving, as they often can be in March and April.

He followed the field home in a 789m trial and O’Shea said he’s grown to his liking with the break since his fifth in the Spring Champion Stakes.

“The key for him was in the spring we had really firm ground and he’s probably a bit better when he can get his toe in,’’ he said.

“In the spring it was probably advantage Profondo in terms of the ground they were running on. He’ll go through the Tulloch into the Derby.

“He’s a genuine mile and a half (horse) and will probably get the blinkers on at some stage.”

The Star Championships - the Grand Finals of Australian racing.