Why this filly could be the best horse O'Brien has ever trained

By Ethan Clark

Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Danny O’Brien has heaped praise on an “untapped” filly who could be the best horse he has ever worked with.

With four wins from just five starts in her career, Sass Appeal has continued to prove herself through the grades, with her last victory coming in the Group 2 Kewney at Flemington last Saturday.

Speaking on Giddy Up with Gareth Hall, the 23-time Group 1 winning trainer glowed when asked about this potential superstar of the track.

“We’ve made no secret of the respect we've got for her, she is untapped. I don't think she's got anywhere near the bottom of herself so far. It's just been a lovely progression for her,” he said.

“Each time she's stepped out in better company, she's won more convincingly, so it's going to be a nice wait over the winter to see what she can turn up with and produce for us in the spring.”

When asked by Hall whether it is the most exciting horse in the stable, O’Brien wasted no time in affirming.

“I think so. I think (she’s the best we’ve had) for some time… since Russian Camelot and you know he was a star. I'll be disappointed if she doesn't go right to the top over the next 12 months,” O’Brien praised.

When an where will we see the three-year-old step out next?

“She's going to come back and head towards the handicapped Group 1’s early in the spring, the Sir Rupert Clarke and the Toorak Handicap and then we'll see where we're placed after those two races with where she heads after that,” O’Brien said.

Many suggest 1400-1600m would be her best trip, but O’Brien sees potential to test her at an even further trip given her incredible racing manners.

“She might step out one day towards 2000m, but she certainly wouldn't go any further than that, she's quite brilliant at the 1400m and then the 1600m, so, I think between 1400 and potentially up to 2000 is about the right trips for her,” he explained.

“If they've got that natural gate speed, if they're happy to travel up on a tempo and she'd be happy on a faster tempo than what she's even been on, and then they've still got that ability to run good fractions for you late, I wish I had a few more like it.”

The paddock awaits Sass Appeal and the gun trainer laid out the path to working her back to such high-quality racing after a lengthy break before spring.

“She'll probably only spend six weeks in the paddock, but, then she might be in work for 3 or 4 months before she has her first start in the spring, so yeah, I don't think it'll be an issue with her,” he said.

“The other thing these days is when you have a horse that’s going to be a Group 1 contender, you want to get as many seasons out of them as you can and that often means just being a little conservative with how often you race them.”

Danny O’Brien will send just one runner to Caulfield this Saturday in Ornos who will race in the VOBIS Platinum Guineas over 1600m at $51 with Sportsbet.