Stakes performer Barber is set to continue a strong tradition of ex-Godolphin horses finding success under Richard Litt, with the four-year-old preparing for his second outing for new connections in the Listed Takeover Target Stakes (1100m) at Gosford.

Bought for $215,000 at the Inglis December digital sale by Jason Micallef’s Monarch Bloodstock, Barber arrives with a solid CV and high expectations. Monarch is a rising force in the syndication space, and Litt is confident they’ve found a horse to match their ambition.

“He was bought by Jason Micallef from Monarch Racing, which is a pretty new syndicator making his way in the last couple of years in Sydney and he has supported me loads with horses,” Litt said.

“I appreciate him giving him to me and he fits our mould, an older sprinter having a bit of a change of atmosphere.

“Godolphin are always wonderful people to buy off. The horses have always been well looked after, they’re well bred, they’re well everything.”

Litt has enjoyed great success with Godolphin castoffs before, and Barber showed promise when finishing third first-up at Canterbury despite being held up at a vital stage.

“He is a big, gross horse so he went to Canterbury a little underdone but was unlucky not to win, really,” Litt said.

“His work since then has been excellent. He likes soft ground by the looks of his form and Tyler (Schiller) is back on with 53 kilos.”

While originally considered for a race in Brisbane, Barber will run at Gosford after drawing poorly in Queensland. Still, the winter carnival remains on the radar with nominations for both the Doomben 10,000 and Stradbroke Handicap.

“I think he’s exciting and hopefully, he can run really well and then we can take him to Brisbane for the winter. That would be the plan,” Litt said.

“He is sound as a bell and he is an amazingly well looked after horse so I’m very happy to have him.”

Backers looking to bet on Barber or other weekend features should explore the best odds and deals on our Australian betting sites list.