Osipenko (NZ) Back in Winning Groove

After almost two years of close-up finishes, million-dollar earner Osipenko (NZ) (Pierro) made a long overdue return to winning form in Saturday’s A$200,000 Listed Asahi Super Dry January Cup (2000m).

The Rosehill feature was the fourth win of a 26-race career for Osipenko, who has placed on another five occasions and has earned A$1.29m. He was a $160,000 purchase from Book 1 of Karaka 2021.

Osipenko showed enormous promise as a three-year-old, winning the Group Two Hobartville Stakes (1400m) and Group Three Frank Packer Plate (2000m) and placing in the Group One Caulfield Guineas (1600m).

He had gone winless in 16 starts since his Frank Packer victory in April of 2023, but had been highly competitive in elite company in between times, including a second in the Group Three Summer Cup (2000m), third in the Group One Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) and A$1m The Gong (1600m), fourth in the Group Two Shannon Stakes (1500m), fifth in the Group One Winx Stakes (1400m) and Group One Toorak Handicap (1600m), and sixth in the Group One Stradbroke Handicap (1600m).

He was right back on top of his game on Saturday, with jockey James McDonald presenting him on the outside of the leaders on the point of the home turn and the horse taking care of the rest. Osipenko soon took command and drew clear, racing to victory by a length and a quarter.

Osipenko is trained by Chris Waller, who was represented at Rosehill on Saturday by his assistant trainer Charlie Duckworth.

“He was competing at Group One level as a three-year-old and we thought he could win a Caulfield Guineas,” Duckworth said. “But it’s taken a while to get him back to form and we have tried different things with him since having the horse gelded.

“We tried a couple of times to ride him up on the speed, get really aggressive with him and try to coax the best out of him, but that didn’t work.

“Eventually, Chris decided to go back to basics, just leave him alone, took the head gear off and let him be a horse again and he’s enjoying his racing.

“Osipenko has been getting better every time this preparation. He’s been knuckling down and trying hard, which we needed him to do, because the talent has always been there.”

Osipenko was bought at Karaka by Guy Mulcaster on behalf of Chris Waller Racing and the Kaha Syndicate.

Osipenko is one of 38 individual stakes winners by leading Australian sire Pierro, who has six yearlings in the catalogue for Book 1 of Karaka 2025 later this month.

Vendor	Valachi Downs
Purchaser	Kaha/Chris Waller Racing (New South Wales)
Breeding	Pierro – Raskova
Sale	Lot 60, Karaka 2021 Book 1, $160,000
Bred by	K J Hickman ONZM