Latest News

By Ray Hickson

Apprentice Ben Osmond is looking forward to a second shot at putting Tavi Time’s name back in lights at Randwick on Saturday after things got a bit awkward for him first time around.

That was three weeks ago at Kembla Grange and as the five-year-old eased out to make his run Osmond said it surprised him that he wanted to get his head to one side at the business end.

He’s hoping it was due to the track firming up, the winner Estadio Mestalla set a track record, as he feels he’s well suited to atone in the Coolmore Spelling @ Mount White Handicap (1800m).

Ben Osmond (Pic: Bradley Photos)

“I’m not sure what it was, he didn’t seem to get balanced and the track was pretty firm that day,’’ he said.

“He ran pretty well considering he didn’t do everything right.”

The Kris Lees-trained Tavi Time, $3.50 with TAB on Friday, started the preparation with high expectations on him and he would start favourite in the $3 million Big Dance, ultimately running fourth behind Gringotts.

Osmond noted he took a bit of time to wind up at Kembla Grange, again perhaps due to the surface, so he suspects getting out an extra 200m will be in his favour.

“He didn’t show much of a turn of foot,’’ he said.

“Whether that’s him getting older or getting into better races and that sharp turn of foot he had early days mightn’t be there any more. So stepping him up I reckon is a good thing.

“He’s drawn well, if he can be forward of midfield and doesn’t have to work too much to get there I reckon it’s his race to lose really.”

The 25-year-old combines with Lees in the Bob Ingham AO Handicap (1600m) as Pier Pressure chases a hat-trick and he says now she’s racing with confidence again she could handle a class rise.

As a two-year-old Pier Pressure was placed in the Group 1 Inglis Sires’ but didn’t notch her maiden win until her seventh start. Her Scone win in November was her first in over a year but she backed it up with a runaway success at Canterbury two weeks ago.

“She’s flying. Hopefully the track isn’t too firm for her, she loves a bit of sting out of the ground,’’ Osmond said.

“Since that win at Scone she’s gone to another level, her work at home has been really good and it’s been good to see her string a couple of wins together because it took her a while to break her maiden.

“It’s a tougher race but she should get everything in her favour drawn one.”

Osmond sits four wins behind Zac Wadick in the apprentices premiership with 10 city wins this season. It’s game on for a premiership battle when they pass Zac Lloyd’s mark of 21 wins he set at the completion of his apprenticeship last month.

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday’s Randwick meeting