$2m Inglis Millennium next target for Ciaron Maher and David Eustace’s impressive colt Odinson

The Inglis Nursery domination continues for Ciaron Maher and David Eustace as high-class colt Odinson storms to victory in the $500,000 feature at Randwick.

Tyler Schiller and Odinson score a stylish win in the Inglis Nursery at Randwick. Picture: Getty Images

Odinson had to do things the hard way but his class shone through when it was needed to gun down the brave outsider Beer Baron at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained colt was never closer than three-wide before producing a powerful late sprint down the outside to win the $500,000 Inglis Nursery (1000m).

Beer Baron ($51) looked to have stolen the show until Odinson ($5) launched his assault to continue Maher and Eustace’s strong recent run in the lucrative sprint.

They have now won three of the past four editions of the Nursery with Acrobat (2020) and Pacific Padrino (2021) both scoring in the lucrative race.

The stable believe their latest winner Odinson has a bright future.

"Odinson got up right on the post."

A big effort from the @cmaherracing colt by Night Of Thunder, with @G1TySchil in the saddle, to snatch the $500,000 @inglis_sales Nursery at Royal Randwick from Beer Baron with Nymphadora in third. @tabcomaupic.twitter.com/NIQ2okhRTB

— Racing NSW (@racing_nsw) December 9, 2023

“He is a beautiful strong colt,” stable representative Johann Gerard-Dubord said.

“His first start was very good. He jumped cleanly and had a good day out there.

“He improved with the experience and arrived here in Sydney last week in great order. Galloped our way of going.

“He’s a lovely horse with plenty of upsides.”

Odinson was a $320,000 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale but paid off a large portion of that price tag with a maiden win at his second start.

The son of Night Of Thunder showed plenty of promise in his debut last month when finishing strongly for third in the Group 3 Maribyrnong Plate (1000m) at Flemington.

His life was made difficult at his second start after jumping from the outside in the field of 13.

Jockey Tyler Schiller was forced to sit three-deep in the run but had cover before peeling even wider as the field rounded the bend.

The Neil Osborne-trained Beer Baron gave him something to catch but Odinson was up to the task as he got over the top of him late to salute by a neck with Stephen O’Halloran’s Nymphadora ($101) producing an amazing late burst to finish third.

“He had me a little bit worried at the 300m when Beer Baron put that two lengths on him but he really knuckled in,” Schiller said.

“I am really happy with the way the colt responded under pressure.

“I think he is in for a pretty bright future. I don’t think it’s the toughest Inglis race but going forward he’ll draw better barriers and have better runs than this and be able to finish off as well.”

Odinson (right) defeated a gutsy Beer Baron (left) in the Inglis Nursery. Picture: Getty Images

Odinson will now have a short freshen up with the plan to target February’s $2 million Inglis Millennium at Royal Randwick.

“He probably won’t have a break, he will just have a freshen,” Gerard-Dubord said.

“We will go to the Inglis Millennium. He will just have a couple of weeks in the paddock and that will be enough for him.”

Osborne was ecstatic with the debut of his colt Beer Baron, who is owned mainly by his wife Denise.

Beer Baron looked the winner when he surged clear inside the final 100m but ultimately found one better in the run to the line.

“A fortnight ago I thought he could win the race but just probably gone off a bit in the last week or so,” Osborne said.

“It had me in two minds, prior to that I thought he could nearly win.

“He’s the best two-year-old I’ve ever had I think. The filly, I Am Snippety, that broke her leg was very good.

“I think he is probably a better horse.”

Jockey Tommy Berry added that he thought the three-wide run took it’s toll on Beer Baron late.

“I was just the wide trip told the tale in the end but he’s a lovely colt,” he said.

Connections of Beer Baron picked up an extra $200,000 for being the Pink Bonus eligible runner home.

The Pink Bonus goes to horses that are at least 75 per cent owned by women.

Meanwhile, Regan Bayliss went within inches of clinching The Ingham/Razor Sharp Stakes double at Royal Randwick on Saturday but still went home with back-to-back Razor Sharps thanks to the long nose of Recommendation.

Bayliss and trainer Sara Ryan almost added the $2 million The Ingham to Attractable’s ever expanding C.V, only to fall short by a bare margin.

Fast forward to the Razor Sharp and Bayliss was involved in an even closer finish, only this time awarded the gold ahead of a brave Insurrection.

Bayliss and his Maher/Eustace-housed mount never went around a horse in the $200,000 Listed feature named in honour of a two-time Newmarket Handicap and three-time Challenge Stakes winner.

The ground saved proved the difference between winning and losing (and circa $72,000 in prizemoney) with the margin separating the two four-year-olds a nose in the old.

“That was a very well-deserved win,” Bayliss said. “He has been around the mark in his last couple of runs and I think the addition of the blinkers today (helped).

“He drew a plumb barrier and he always travelled well throughout and stuck his head out on the line.

“He actually didn’t jump as cleanly as I would have liked so he was a little bit on the back foot that first furlong and a half but then he was able to get into a nice rhythm and I knew that six furlongs (1200m) is his pet trip and he was going to be strong through the line which he proved today.”

Runner-up Insurrection led from the first until the last metre, almost pulling off a Warra/Razor Sharp double in consecutive starts.

Three-time Razor Sharp winning jockey Tommy Berry was next in, aboard the Waikato Stud-bred Waihaha Falls.

Few would have missed the performance of recent Joe Pride recruit Sinawann whose last win dates back as far as the 2021 Group 3 MRC Heffernan Stakes at Sandown with the Irish-bred son of Kingman flashing up late.

- additional reporting by Shayne O’Cass

Originally published as $2m Inglis Millennium next target for Ciaron Maher and David Eustace’s impressive colt Odinson