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Australian syndicate OTI Racing has acquired the majority interest in yet another classy UK staying talent for the Melbourne spring carnival.

Van Percy, a four-year-old winner of four races from 15 starts, will race in the OTI colours after the syndicate headed by Terry Henderson and Simon O’Donnell acquired 60 percent ownership.

Van Percy’s current owners have retained 40 percent with the talented staying prospect to be trained for the spring carnival by his current trainer Andrew Balding.

By Derby winner Sir Percy out of Enforce, Van Percy has had three starts this year for two wins over 2414m at Lingfield and 2816m at Newmarket.

Balding won last year’s G1 LKS Mackinnon Stakes at Flemington with Side Glance and is looking forward to returning to Australia with Van Percy.

He has been set for the Ebor at York in August as his UK finale before he heads to Australia where he spring targets will be the Geelong Cup and Melbourne Cup.

Francesca Cumani inspected Van Percy for OTI before the purchase was completed and was highly impressed by the gelding, comparing him favorably with Bauer, the stayer her father trained for OTI who was beaten a nose by Viewed in the 2008 Melbourne Cup.

Cumani reported that Van Percy is “a lovely moving type with great balance and a long stride” who should improve with maturity as a five-year-old.

She said he is a little bigger than Bauer but there are a lot of other parallels in the way the horse moves.

OTI has a strong list of horses under its ownership in Europe that are being considered for spring campaigns in Australia.

They include Au Revoir and Montclair, in training in France with Andre Fabre, the Luca Cumani stablemates Seussical, Quest For Peace and Sir Walter Scott, Gatewood with John Gosden, Marco Botti’s Renew and Ed Dunlop's Mannwadi, a younger half brother to OTI's triple G1 winner Manighar.