Osborne fears handicapper now has Ouzo in his grip

Jamie Osborne conceded “success gets penalised” as stable star Ouzo’s career-high mark could be to his detriment on his return to British shores with Royal Ascot in mind.

The eight-year-old has scored on his last three starts, with his winning run beginning with a dead-heat alongside Marco Botti’s Daysofourlives at the Berkshire track in September.

Ouzo headed to Dubai for the winter, as he had done the year before, and continued his rich vein of form by claiming the Lord North Handicap and Lord Glitters Handicap at Meydan in January and February respectively.

As a result, he has seen his mark shoot up to 106, which his trainer fears is too high for Ouzo to challenge for a fourth straight success at the Royal meeting.

The son of Charm Spirit is slated for the Royal Hunt Cup over the straight mile, but Osborne hinted at a possible alternative of stepping up to 10 furlongs in the Wolferton Stakes.

“Sadly in this game, success gets penalised,” Osborne said. “He left the UK on 98 and I actually thought that he might struggle in Meydan off that, because he’d been the year before off 94 and didn’t manage to win.

“He did very well out there, which is great, but we’ve come back at 106! So, I can’t imagine he’s well-handicapped.

“We’ve gone through the process as normal of a mini break when he came back from Dubai, we’ve built him back up and he’s ready to go again and he will run again next week.

“He’s obviously in the Hunt Cup and he will also have an entry in the Wolferton to potentially try a longer trip with him, going 10 furlongs.

“I don’t know which way we will go yet. I just think wherever he goes, I don’t think he’s a genuine 106 horse.

“You don’t tend to win many races, especially Royal Ascot races, if your handicap is up to your axles – and that’s where I kind of see him.

“It’s great he’s won his last three races, he’s given the girls a lot of fun, but there’s a price to pay for that and I suspect that through this summer we will pay that price.”