SIMON O'Donnell, Terry Henderson and the OTI horse-racing syndicate know exactly how Tantalus felt, reports The Age. It says: The mythical Greek figure - said to have stolen ambrosia and nectar from the gods - was condemned to thirst for eternity in the underworld, standing in a pool of water beneath a fruit tree whose fruit was always just out of grasp and with the water always receding before he could take a drink. The OTI group members know just how heartbreaking it is to have had the vessel

SIMON O'Donnell, Terry Henderson and the OTI horse-racing syndicate know exactly how Tantalus felt, reports The Age.

It says: The mythical Greek figure - said to have stolen ambrosia and nectar from the gods - was condemned to thirst for eternity in the underworld, standing in a pool of water beneath a fruit tree whose fruit was always just out of grasp and with the water always receding before he could take a drink.

The OTI group members know just how heartbreaking it is to have had the vessel they cherish most snatched away at the last second: their grey gelding, Bauer, trained by Luca Cumani, was beaten by a whisker by Viewed in the 2008 Melbourne Cup.

Tantalus was never able to seek redemption. O'Donnell and Henderson can - and the pair are hoping it will come this spring. They have one of the strongest hands of any ownership group as they look to harvest the riches on offer in Melbourne over the next 10 weeks.

Already preparing for his next campaign is their import, Manighar, the revelation of the autumn, a galloper Peter Moody transformed from a seemingly one-paced stayer into a dazzling weight-for-age performer at middle distances. Manighar, when prepared by Luca Cumani at Newmarket, finished close up in the cups, although his autumn performances over distances between 1600 metres and 2000 metres would suggest he is now capable of a Cox Plate.

While Australian punters will look to Moonee Valley and Warwick Farm for clues this weekend, the OTI members will have their eyes firmly fixed on Europe, where several other candidates who could bring them cups glory will be having their final preparatory races in the north and south of England and in France. The quartet concerned are Quest For Peace and Ibicenco, both trained by Cumani, Gatewood, from the John Gosden yard, and the John Hammond-prepared Prairie Star www.theage.com.au