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By Ray Hickson

Trainer Richard Litt can only hope former Godolphin galloper Barber will be the gift that keeps giving.

It’s well known that Litt has been a regular buyer of cast offs from the blue army but when Barber came on the market he was sure he’d be outpriced given the four-year-old was already a Group 3 winner who had amassed just on $1 million in prizemoney.

Fortunately for Litt, Jason Micallef from Monarch Racing was also keen on the horse and was more than happy for him to train when the gelding was snapped up for $215,000.

In two starts for the Warwick Farm trainer, Barber has already returned about three-quarters of that price and can prove himself a bargain buy if he adds the Listed $200,000 Vinery Stud Bob Charley AO Stakes (1100m) to his record at Randwick on Saturday.

“When you buy off Godolphin they are nice horses and they are extremely well looked after,’’ Litt said.

“The transparency when you buy them is unbelievable, they almost tell you when they coughed last. They’ve been the foundation of my stable since I started.

“We were looking at a few horses and I always thought it’d be out of my price range, but secretly Jason always had his eye on him.

“He bought him and it was a great surprise when he asked me to train him.”

Prior to being sold, Barber made an early impact with three straight wins in the Kirkham Plate, Golden Gift and Blue Diamond Prelude. He ran in both the Blue Diamond and Golden Slipper as a two-year-old but was winless until he scored at Geelong last October.

He kicked off his career for Litt with an eye-catching third at Canterbury on Easter Monday then backed it up with a tough performance, when well ed, to win the Listed Takeover Target Stakes (1200m) at Gosford a month ago.

“His run at Canterbury was very good and it was probably a blessing in disguise he didn’t win that race,’’ Litt said.

“He went across the line only having a 175m gallop and he really came on well from that.

“I knew he’d run well at Gosford but you never go into a race confident, I don’t anyway. Tyler rode him spot on, the way he rode him looked a bit ugly but it was the winning of the race.”

Litt has a preparation mapped out for Barber that will see him follow the Bob Charley, where he was $11 with TAB on Thursday, with a race in Brisbane later this month before aiming at the Ramornie Handicap (1200m) at Grafton in July.

He’s far from disappointed that the gelding has drawn out in the Bob Charley, going as far as to say it’s probably going to enhance his chances on a wet track.

“I would prefer to be out a bit wider on a soft track at Randwick where the rail is true rather than being drawn one and being second or third on the fence,’’ he said.

“I know going there he’s so genuine he finds a way to run well, he’ll be able to get the job done if he’s good enough.

“He’s a great winter horse, he handles soft ground and I think he’s better on that than on firm ground.

“He’s freshened up very well for the 1100m, we’re very happy with him and it’s just got to fall into place.”

While Barber appears to love a wet track the same can’t be said for another ex-Godolphin galloper in Zulfiqar who will get one more chance this campaign in the Schweppes Handicap (1250m) at Canterbury on Monday.

Litt is hopeful the track will dry out over the coming days to a degree where he can see whether it’s worth persisting or resetting later in the year.

“He was disappointing on Saturday but I think we’ve come to the conclusion that he doesn’t handle the soft ground,’’ he said.

“We’ll run him at Canterbury, I think the track will improve to be okay but if he puts in another bad run we’ll have to put him out and give him another go on good ground.”

Barber wins the Takeover Target Stakes at Gosford on May 10

Stablemate Octa De Lago appears likely to run in the TAB Handicap (1250m) at Canterbury, though he is also engaged at Newcastle on Saturday where he’s drawn wide, and he’s a horse Litt said has a decent future.

The gelding made the perfect start with a debut win at Goulburn on May 22.

“He’s a lovely horse, a horse on the way up we’ve given plenty of time to,’’ he said.

“He’s a real racehorse, he loves his job. I don’t know how far he will get but he’s an exciting horse.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday’s Randwick meeting