Russian Camelot in top shape for $9m mission

He has been lying low since the spring, but if Russian Camelot explodes in the way his trainer Danny O’Brien believes he will then the star colt should be on course to net the lion’s share of $9 million at his next two starts.

The four-year-old son of Coolmore’s star stallion Camelot will try to break new ground by winning the $5 million All Star Mile at Moonee Valley next weekend first-up – a feat not tried very often over the 1600-metre trip in Australia.

And, if he can power over the top of high-calibre rivals like the mares Arcadia Queen and Probabeel and his Cox Plate conqueror Sir Dragonet, O’Brien will look to head north to the riches on offer in The Championships in the Sydney autumn.

A race like the $4 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes – a contest regularly farmed by the superstar Winx during her racing days – will be on his agenda at Randwick.

He is due to have a final tune-up gallop at The Valley on Tuesday morning, and O’Brien is pleased with the progress the lightly raced galloper has made since he finished eighth in the Melbourne Cup, connections acknowledging that he failed to stay the 3200-metre distance after looming to challenge in the straight.

“He had a nice break after the spring and he’s had a nice build-up to this. He’s had two trials, he’s forward enough to run very well and I’m looking forward to having him back at the races,” O’Brien said.

“Obviously, he had a busy spring so he was very fit at the end of the spring. He’s got that residual fitness and 1600 [metres] for him first-up is perfect.”

The trainer – no stranger to group 1 glory, having trained Melbourne Cup winner Vow And Declare and a number of other top-class gallopers – believes the Kiwi Probabeel and the WA superstar Arcadia Queen, a dual group 1 winner in Melbourne last spring, set a high standard in the All Star Mile.

“They’re in great form, they’re both high-class mares. We did beat Arcadia Queen twice in the spring, but that was on soft ground.