OTI colours to be carried by half-brother to Harbour Views at Royal Ascot.
The Gold Cup is the signature event of the Royal Ascot meeting and is a race that has had strong links with the Melbourne Cup, but it is not the only race on Thursday's third day that will be of particular interest to Australian racing fans.
The race following the Gold Cup will see a set of colours that have been carried to victory in some of Australia's biggest races carried by a half-brother to a horse who had a big following Down Under who could make the trip south later in the year.
Docklands, who runs in the Britannia Stakes, is a three-year-old by Massaat out of the Mark Of Esteem mare Icky Woo, who is also the dam of former OTI Racing gelding Harbour Views.
A son of Le Havre, Harbour Views burst onto the scene with five-straight wins to start his career for Warrnambool trainer Matthew Williams and won a Listed Tontonan Stakes and placed in a Group 2 Feehan Stakes before being retired around this time last year.
Terry Henderson interest in his younger half-brother is therefore obvious and the OTI managing director was able to get him via Stuart Boman of Blandford Bloodstock, who paid just 16,000 Euros for him as a yearling at the Ireland September Yearling Sale in 2021.
In addition to Harbour Views, Icky Woo has had four other winners, including American Group 3 winner Ickymasho, a daughter of Multiplex.
OTI gave Docklands to Harry Eustace, brother of Melbourne Cup-winning trainer David, to train and from four starts he has won twice and finished in the runner-up stall on the other occasions.
After a narrow second at Haydock at his only start as a two-year-old, Docklands was put aside before returning with another second placing at Wolverhampton on March 30.
He broke his maiden at Kempton on April 19 before streeting his rivals by 6-1/2 lengths over 1609 metres at Ascot on May 12.
Docklands stays at the mile for the Britannia Stakes, a 30-horse field in which he will start from barrier 18 with Hayley Turner to ride.
If he continues to impress in Europe, OTI will give consideration to campaigning Docklands in Australia late this year with the $10 million Golden Eagle (1500m) at Rosehill a possible target race.
The Britannia Stakes, which is Race 5 on the card, will be run at 2am Friday AEST.
