The Sydney raider has a winning hope.
Osipenko is undoubtedly a talented horse even if he is a little enigmatic.
The Chris Waller-trained gelding tackles the $1.5 million Group 1 Railway Stakes (1600m) at Ascot on Saturday on the back of a last-start win in The Little Dance at Randwick on November 4.
Osipenko has been handed a visitors’ draw of barrier 17 for the Railway where he will be ridden by Sydneysider Tim Clark.
Clark, who won the 2016 Winterbottom Stakes in Perth aboard the Gary Moore-trained Takedown, says the Pierro gelding heads to the Railway in decent nick.
“He’s going there on the back of a really solid win,” Clark said on SEN WA Breakfast. “The mile seems a nice trip for him.
“He’s a horse that gets back off the speed a little bit, and he probably likes a bit of room. He could land in a three-wide line with a trail like he did at Randwick on Cup Day, we saw how effective he could be.”
Osipenko won The Little Dance (1600m) carrying 62kg and plummets to 55kg for his first assignment in Western Australia.
Clark suggests that fact doubled with his unquestioned ability gives him a strong winning hope.
“It’s a bit of a step-up in grade from his last start but not many horses will be going into a Group 1 dropping 7kg off a last-start win,” Clark added.
“He’s been a well performed horse. I actually rode him earlier in his career and he was unlucky not to have won a Caulfield Guineas as a three-year-old. That would have changed things a lot for him if he was able to do that.
“It did take him a while to win another race but he’s always raced at a high level and has always ran quite honestly throughout his career.
“He’s definitely a horse who is capable of going over there and performing up to a high standard.”
The only issue with lumping 55kg is that only one of the last 15 Railway winners has carried more than 53.5kg to win the race.
Regarding the likely firm and fast deck at Ascot, Clark added: “He is a horse that likes to get his toe in for sure, but he’s performed well on good tracks as well.
“He’s won out beyond a mile, so he’s going to be strong at the back end of the race.”
Clark last rode Osipenko when fourth in the Group 2 Tramway at Randwick on September 6. He is yet to win in four attempts on the horse.
The Railway will be Osipenko’s 13th attempt at winning a Group 1. He has run third on two occasions - the 2022 Caulfield Guineas and the 2023 Makybe Diva Stakes behind Mr Brightside and Alligator Blood.
He is currently rated a $10 chance with Sportsbet to win the Railway. Watch Me Rock and Western Empire are joint $4.50 favourites at time of writing.
The Railway takes place on Day 2 of Racing WA's The Pinnacles which continues on November 29 with the Winterbottom Stakes, December 6 for the Northerly Stakes and December 13 with the Gold Rush.
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