McHale seeking to end winless run in the Winter Stakes

A winless drought stretching back twenty-two months stands in the way of McHale, but assistant trainer Charlie Duckworth believes the stable has found the solution to break it.

The five-year-old gelding is slated to contest Saturday's Listed Winter Stakes over 1400 metres, aiming for his first victory since Rachel King guided him to triumph in the 2024 Bill Ritchie Handicap over the same distance.

Alysha Collett is set to ride McHale on Saturday, becoming the first female jockey to partner the horse since King, a detail Duckworth thinks could be crucial.

"He obviously goes well for girls," Duckworth said.

"Whether people read into that or not – some do, some don't – he won the Bill Ritchie with Rachel King and now he's got Alysha Collett.

"It all sets up beautifully for him on Saturday."

McHale's best performance in that period was a second in benchmark grade at Rosehill last August, though he has been competitive in several stakes races.

He was finishing strongly when fifth behind Midnight Dynamite first-up in the Civic Stakes (1400m). With a low draw on Saturday, Duckworth is hopeful McHale can settle closer to the pace and present a strong challenge.

"When he won the Bill Ritchie leading into the Epsom, he looked like he was going to be a really promising horse, and he hit that mark and just hasn't quite found his way through," he commented.

"It was an awesome run first-up. He's drawn much better, so he will naturally settle three lengths closer as a result.

"That should put him right in it. I think he's a genuine winning chance."

Chris Waller's stable will also have representation with Matusalem, who is resuming and anticipated to improve with the run, and Pippie Beach, who is returning from a Queensland stint where she was placed in a Group 3 event two starts ago.

"She's going well. Two starts back was much better than last start which didn't quite go to plan, but if she can bounce back to that form where she ran third to Pinito then she's right in it," Duckworth added.

Highly touted debut winner Omolong is not guaranteed a start in the Thank You ATC Members Handicap (1100m) after drawing poorly in barrier nine.

The colt settled last at Warwick Farm and surged home to win, but Duckworth acknowledged the challenge of giving away a start over the 1100m at Rosehill. A decision awaits scratchings.

"There is no real rush with him. There are options next week and the week after, over different distances, admittedly," Duckworth said.

Stablemates Letters Patent and Joint Venture might be aimed at different races, while Defenseman is confirmed for the race from barrier four after a promising first-up second over 1250m at Canterbury.

"He is actually a really good horse, he just needs things to go his way and it hasn't so far in his career," Duckworth remarked about Defenseman. "But from a soft draw, he should be right up behind the leaders and give himself every opportunity."

McHale appears to be a strong contender for the Winter Stakes. For those interested in betting, check out the leading online bookmakers for the latest odds.