From Lee & Cherie Curtis
Horse: Dalchini
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 6, Hot Danish Stakes) The mare has been racing in tremendous heart, placing behind Magic Time in The Nivison two starts ago then warming up late when going back from a wide draw in The Invitation won by Espiona. She has the inside gate on Saturday and I am hoping she can finally get the right conditions to land an overdue win. She has only won one from twenty, but out of those twenty starts, she has been in about fifteen races where the tempo has been slower than average. She’s just had no luck whatsoever. Her run in The Invitation was outstanding, if she’d drawn a gate I’ve no doubt she runs 4th at least. Last prep she didn’t quite come up, but this prep I’ve seen a different horse. If she gets conditions to suit, she can run past them. She has got the ability. She is just due for a change of luck.
From Richard & Will Freedman
Horse: Miss Judas
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 7, Golden Gift) If you finish in the top two you are in the Slipper so that’s the allure. We had options to go to Melbourne to get some black-type but we think over the course of her two-year-old season she will pick it up anyway. We have opted to go for the big prize and if you do you can really cater your autumn about getting to the Golden Slipper, you don’t have to win your way in. There was definitely consideration to not go to the Gift and go to Melbourne but we are happy with the filly. I thought her debut was really good (2nd to Shangri La Express in the Kirkham Plate). I know the winner was smart enough and he probably is a nice colt but I can almost guarantee you that Gai and Adrian‘s horse off one trial is a bit more forward then our horse off one trial. I am hoping there is possibly a bit more improvement in our filly than there is in Shangri La Express but I also think at the 600m we were probably five lengths off him as well. She has made steady ground in the straight and we’ve drawn inside Shangri La Express this time around so hopefully that means we can be a bit closer in running.
From Tony Ball
Horse: Bantarki
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 4, Highway Hcp) Barriers are absolutely the biggest factor in these Highways, capacity fields and evenly matched restricted graders. Some task out there and we’ve drawn the ‘one’ and weighted (57.5kg) with an in-form gelding. Still he’s only four, lightly raced and has come back a different horse this time up, won with something in hand at 1000m and 1250m. He’s been carrying 60 and 59 kilos so with the weight drop we thought he’s progressed enough to have a crack at a Highway while he’s eligible. Up in grade but genuine, in winning form. He’ll race on-pace for Jay (Ford), and he’ll keep giving as he’ll eventually get a mile.
From Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott
Horse: Shangri La Express
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 7, Golden Gift) Shangri La Express was far from the finished product and the stable felt he had the scope to develop into a quality autumn-class youngster. We do because if you have a look at the horse in the paddock, he hasn’t furnished, he is still very babyish. We’re hoping he can notch another win under his belt and get his prizemoney up for the Slipper, because this is an important race Slipper-wise. Then he can go out for a break after this, furnish into a nice horse and come back a lot stronger. Regan Bayliss galloped him last Saturday morning and said he went super.
Horse: Betta Being Single
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 7, Golden Gift) We saddle-up Betta Being Single in the race after she went down fighting at the Kensington track last month. She led and proved hard to get past and she too deserved a shot on Saturday. She’s a speedy little filly. She’s probably not there yet but….even running a place, the prizemoney is very important for the Slipper. She was nabbed by a pretty good horse that day and she tries hard, which is a plus.
From Team Snowden
Horse: Miss Hellfire
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 3, TAB Hcp) The decision to scratch Miss Hellfire from Rosehill last week has so far proven the right move as she’s come up with the inside alley for her resumption in the TAB Handicap. While the stats say she’s yet to win first-up she’s never run poorly fresh, is coming off a pleasing trial and with Jett Stanley’s claim she’ll carry 57kg. It looked like it was going to be a leader’s track and this race was coming up, we ran the gauntlet and came up with a good gate (1). She’s good fresh and that’s why we thought we’d save her. It’s a nice race for her on paper.
Horse: Volatile
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 7, Golden Gift) Volatile at no stage had a clear shot in the straight in the Breeders’ Plate. He began okay and James (McDonald) gave him a bit of a dig and he took off, got up onto heels/ He got pushed back onto the fence and it was just a messy race all the way through. Hopefully we can get a trouble free run and see what he can do.
Horse: Unspoken
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 8, Five Diamonds) With three wins on end this preparation, Unspoken faces his toughest test. It’s clear the five-year-old hasn’t reached his ceiling yet and this is the chance to prove himself at a higher level. We’ve always had this race in mind, if he happened to win we’d think a bit harder about where we go with him. But he keeps getting better that’s for sure. His last win was dominant, he had no weight on his back but he’s not too badly weighted with 56kg. He led all the way to win the Filante Handicap (1600m) three weeks ago. That’s the first time he’s ever led. He’s been showing more pace in his races this time compared to last time, he was always getting back and getting a long way back with too much to do. Now he’s able to be up in the first half of the field it’s making his job a lot easier. We always thought a fair bit of him, he’d only had a few starts and was only a benchmark 72 horse when we got him. We were able to get him over here at a low level but he’s building his way up quickly. He’s so versatile, wet or dry it’s a double tick that he can handle any sort of track.
From Gerald Ryan & Sterling Alexiou
Horse: Eagle Nest
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 3, TAB Hcp) Can’t fault the way Eagle Nest is coming through her grades and though it’s a quick turnaround from her second-up win, I am confident she can handle it. It’d be our only question mark, we’ve nursed her through three or four week breaks to her next run. But she’s pulled up that well and is in such a rich vein of confidence it’s hard not to enter and think about running her. She’s in form and generally mares they hold that form.
Horse: Call Di
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 6, Hot Danish Stakes) Call Di looks well placed in Saturday’s Hot Danish Stakes but she’s very poorly weighted. If you’re a weights and measures person you probably couldn’t have her, Ciaron’s mare (Royal Merchant) should be giving her about 12kg and Roots should be giving her weight too, but it doesn’t look a race of great depth. It looks a good race for her on paper. She’s in good form, she’s been finding a bit of bad luck and hopefully she finds good luck on Saturday. It looks a race devoid of a specific on speed horse. She’s led and raced prominently before and Nash (Rawiller) will have options from the barrier (3). She’s been racing super consistent and I’m sure a win is not far away.
Horse: Gustosisimo
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 10, Rosehill Bowling Club Hcp) Gustosisimo returned as a gelding this preparation and has recorded two easy wins. We’ve had a pretty fair opinion of him, we deep ended him in his first start. He’s been very well placed this time in and although it’s a big jump to Saturday grade he will race prominent from the wide-ish draw and I’m sure he will be there for a long way. It looks a race where a few of the others may have found where they sit. I’m sure the best is still ahead of our horse, he’s still learning and has a lot of improvement in manners and race sense. He can’t do anything but run really well.
From Matthew Dunn
Horse: Climactic
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 7, Golden Gift) He’s only had the one trial, that’s my only question mark. He is pretty inexperienced and it’s whether the lights of the big city are going to be a bit much for him on race day. But as far as talent goes, he has certainly got that, and he’s a professional. Even though he is inexperienced, he does lots of things right so he will go a long way. Brodie Loy rides him every day and he’s a very good judge and he assured me he’d stand up and be counted in a race like this. I like him and I like what he did Tuesday morning. He was pretty exciting the way he galloped with another horse for the first time in his life, in the dark, and he did it easy.
From John Sargent
Horse: Palmetto
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 8, Five Diamonds) Palmetto booked his spot in the Five Diamonds with a fighting victory in the Prelude (1500m) and on pedigree and racing style, I have no concerns over the extra journey. Not with his breeding and he runs on speed, so he is going to be right in there and we’ll be after the $2 million. The extra distance, I think, will suit him. Palmetto showed his quality with a victory in The Coast earlier this year and the horse was far from disgraced in finishing 5-1/2 lengths from the likes of Huetor and Numerian in the Doomben Cup. And that was at the end of his campaign, now he’s going the right way. He seems to be really well now, and his coat is really good so hopefully he’s on the way up. Kathy O’Hara came and galloped him last week and she thought he was exactly as he was last start or had improved.
From The Editor
Sydney Race 2 – Caboche
Sydney Race 6 – Roots
Sydney Race 8 – Antino
