Iron Jack Golden Eagle meeting will be held at Rosehill this Saturday. The course proper was rated a Good 4 on Thursday and with fine weather in Sydney leading up to the weekend, Rosehill will be racing on a Good track on race day.
After being beaten as the race favourite last start, Faretti can make amend in the opening event at Rosehill (Sydney Race 1, 1400m). The I Am Invincible 3YO won well 1st up at Kensington over 1100m before finishing 4th in the Brian Crowley Stakes last week. Stepping up to 1400m 3rd up looks ideal. Down in class on Saturday but has only gone up 1kg in weight. Nash Rawiller will settle just behind the leaders and receive a lovely run in transit. Faretti looks pretty hard to beat.
Top weight Tally is the class horse in the Rosehill Gold Cup and he should be too good for this field (Sydney Race 6, 2000m). This Godolphin-owned gelding has consistently been competitive in Group races. The 7YO finished 6th to eventual Epsom Handicap winner when 1st up in the Bill Ritchie Handicap before a 4th to the Oaks winner Verry Elleegant in the Hill Stakes. He was then just got beaten by the multiple Group 1 winner Happy Clapper last start in the Craven Plate (2000m). Being 4th up on Saturday, Tally is rock hard fit and will run out a strong 2000m. Drawn nicely in barrier 5, James McDonald will settle somewhere mid-field and Tally will finish strongly and run over the top of this field.
Bob Peters’ proud mare Arcadia Queen looks primed to take out the inaugural $7.5 million Iron Jack Golden Eagle (Sydney Race 7, 1500m). The 4YO mare has a terrific winning strike rate having 6 wins and a placing from 8 career starts with her only failure came from her last start 11th in The Everest (1200m) when she got run off her feet in a very fast run race. The extra trip on Saturday will suit Arcadia Queen much better. James McDonald will once again be aboard the mare. Nicely drawn in barrier 5, McDonald will park just behind the leading bunch and let the mare find her feet. Watch Arcadia Queen let down strongly in the straight and she’ll be hard to hold out in the run home.
By Owens Wong, Editor
