Saturday Spotlight: Ottilie
Ottilie
Trainer: Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott
Race: James H B Carter Stakes (Gr 3, 1400m)
The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Ottilie (Air Force Blue) will make the step up to stakes class when she lines up in the James H B Carter Stakes (Gr 3, 1400m) at Randwick today.
A daughter of the former Aidan O’Brien-trained multiple Group 1 winner Air Force Blue (War Front), who now stands at Peter Hill’s Pegasus Farm in South Korea, Otillie has improved for each of her four starts to date.
Making her debut for a second place finish at Nowra, the three-year-old was then second at Bathurst before breaking her maiden at Hawkesbury on March 24 in ready style. She followed that up by winning a Class 1 Handicap over 1300 metres at Canberra, setting her up nicely for this first crack at a Graded race.
Running in the colours of Dean Watt’s Dynamic Syndications, the filly will be ridden by Chad Schofield and the pair will jump from barrier nine in the 13-runner field that is headed by crack filly Espiona (Extreme Choice), who bids to bounce back from a disappointing effort when finishing just eighth as favourite for the Coolmore Classic (Gr 1, 1200m) last time out.
Bred by I K Smith, Ottilie was sold to Dynamic Syndications and Dean Watt Bloodstock out of the Edinburgh Park consignment at the 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for $100,000.
She is out of the winning stakes-placed Barathea (Sadler’s Wells) mare Angora, who was purchased by Fengood for $15,000 at the Inglis Sydney Weanling & Broodmare Sale in 2017.
Ottilie is a half-sister to multiple winners, including 2011 Summer Scorcher (Listed, 1000m) winner Canali (Exceed And Excel) and Listed-placed winner Vilayet (Fantastic Light).