Gai and Godolphin on the search for winners

Published: 16 Sep 2014


Circumspect - O'Shea ponders his Golden Rose chances, James Cummings in the background ended up taking the prize

Most punters will know that trainers, like horses, can go through a run of good or bad form. Just take Darren Weir's hot streak in Victoria for example, or even Les Bridge's great run in Sydney a few months ago.

As we head into Spring, some of the stables will be gathering momentum, while others are struggling for wins. Two of the biggest stables under the spotlight are Gai Waterhouse's Tulloch Lodge, and the global operation of Godolphin, run in Australia by John O'Shea.

Tulloch Lodge would have been a sombre place after a string of disappointing performances on the weekend, including the promising Greatwood, who tired badly over the last furlong to finish at the back. There hasn't been a winner in the last 18 starters for Gai. Not the most damning statistic, but many of those runners were hard in the market.

Difficult day - Gai explaining the performance of a galloper to it's owners at Rosehill on Saturday

Things look perhaps even more worrying for Godolphin with a current non-winning streak of 26 to their name. The runs of Superstition, Engagement and Copy at Rosehill on Saturday were lacklustre to say the least. Not the type of performances expected in the royal blue silks of the breeding giant.

 Gai and O'Shea - Last 50 starters

  • 5 winners each
  • Only 1 Metropolitan Saturday winner (Greatwood for Gai and Sweynesse for O'Shea)
  • Gai has had 7 runners that started $4 or less, for 1 winner
  • O'Shea has had 13 runners that started $4 or less, for 3 winners

The data doesn't look great, so how does this impact our punting? It's another factor to weigh up when betting on, or against, their runners this weekend. There is a big risk that some of their stable gallopers will continue to disappoint, so keep an eye on how they parade and any market moves.

John O'Shea will be desperate for Earthquake to show her true colours, while Gai will be hoping for big improvement from horses like Pheidon and Aussies Love Sport.

Both are proven trainers with the skills to turn it around, and it might just be a matter of time before they do. Their battle to find form adds even more interest to a big few weeks of racing coming up.

The Race Guide for this weekend's races will be available from Thursday morning.

Needs to Deliver - Godolphin's Earthquake in the parade ring before her first-up run

 




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