Talented Pierro gelding Osipenko doesn’t overdo the business of winning, having been out of pole position since taking a Listed race at Rosehill in January, but he picked a lucrative race in which to return to form landing the $750,000 ATC Little Dance (1600m) at Randwick on Cup Day.
A multiple Group winner at three and Group I placed, Osipenko lost his way as a colt and was duly gelded with the decision proving to be a good one for his trainer Chris Waller.
Ridden by Josh Parr he had to lug 62kg, but proved up to the task, powering home to win by along neck taking his overall record to five wins and seven placings from 34 starts with prizemoney of $1.8million.
“He’s definitely the class horse in the race. We had a lot of weight because of that and we had a sticky barrier,” said Josh Parr.
“The moment I got three-wide with cover, it was like Christmas. I thought we were going to be very hard to hold out.
“Interestingly I was needing him to quicken abruptly at the top of the hill and just with the weight it took a little bit longer for that to happen, but when his turn of foot kicked in his class shone through.”
Bred by the late Kevin Hickman, Osipenko is by Pierro and was purchased out of Valachi Downs’ 2021 Book 1 draft at Karaka by Guy Mulcaster on behalf of Chris Waller Racing and the Kaha Syndicate.
He is the best f two winners from stakes-placed import Raskova (USA), a half-sister to US stakes--winner Dogtag from the family of champion sires Shamardal and Street Cry.
Raskova was sold in the Valachi Downs Dispersal on Gavelhouse for $92,500 and is now in Australia and has a yearling colt by Pierro, who stands this spring at a fee of $33,000.
