From John Sargent
Horse: Treize
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 1, Midway Hcp) She’s had a few niggly things but hopefully we can get her on a run now because she’s quite talented. I had a plan to get to some weaker black type races and we still might be able to do that if she carries on through the grades. We’ll tick along slowly and take it race by race. She led all the way to win first-up over 1250m on the Kensington track and it was another six weeks until she reappeared in a 1000m dash at Gosford where she found Oceans One too speedy. With the 3kg claim for Sargent’s apprentice Molly Bourke, Treize gets in with 52.5kg. It looks a nice race for her at the weights. She should be up and over and slot in somewhere on the speed. She gives her best, she won her maiden very well at Kembla Grange and won well first-up at Kenso. She’s not a big mare, but she’s got a big heart and she’s a trier. It’s a big help when a jockey knows a horse, Molly gallops her every day and knows her like the back of her hand. She was very happy with her work on Tuesday and hopefully she can front up and pull it off.
From Lou Mary
Horse: Magic Pharoah
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 2, Highway Plate) Magic Pharoah offers compelling form with a recent powerful winning episode at headquarters and an unlucky 3rd into a Class 3, set weights Highway Plate. She’s a really consistent and genuine mare, but barrier 14 with the rail out 6 metres means we’ll need a lot of luck in a big field. But if we get a strong tempo, and they usually are in Highways and they string out, she’ll be really strong at the finish back to 1500m. After she won at a ‘mile’ at Randwick Tom (Sherry) said she’ll get further for sure, maybe 1800m or 2000m. And she’ll be a better and stronger mare next prep at five. But these are hard to win, I always respect the opposition.
From Angela Davies
Horse: Our Kobison
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 9, Schweppes Hcp) I just love the way James (McDonald) can get horses to their top without getting to the bottom of them. He never rushes them through their gears, the way he rides he encourages them to keep picking up before he reaches for the persuader. He has a good way of teaching horses how to get through their gears and that impresses me. There was never any hesitation that he wasn’t going to get on this Saturday. He has a good opinion of the horse as I do and we hope he can reach that stakes level. So far the champion jockey has a two from two record on the four-year-old, one back in August and last start. The gelding held 1-1/4 lengths on his opposition in his second-up win, where he was held up for a run until half way down the straight, two weeks ago. He reeled off the fastest last 200m (10.85 secs) in winning that race and a slick final 600m of 32.81. I suspect he will run it (1200m) but that will be a string to his bow if he can get a strong 1200m, that opens up a lot of races for him. I’ve said to the owners let’s just steady him through his benchmark and see how we go. Times are everything and he was always able to reel off the fastest sectionals of the day so it made you excited thinking I wonder how far he will go.
From Matthew Smith
Horse: French Endeavour
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 10, Expect It All This Autumn At ATC Hcp) I just wanted to get her started. We will still go through the fillies series but I just felt like she was ready to go and then she will go to the 1200m (Light Fingers) and 1400m (Surround Stakes) and we will see where she is up to. She looks good, her trial was good the other day and her work has been good so we will find out where she fits in. I like her, she is a nice filly.
From Bjorn Baker
Horse: Pick Up The Tap
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 3, Canonbury Stakes) I think he’s a nice horse, it’s not necessarily about Saturday but later on. If he can hit the line at all, once he gets up over 1400m and maybe a beyond he’s going to be a very nice horse.
Horse: Malkovich
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 4, Southern Cross Stakes) It’ll be almost three years to the day he was last tested at six furlongs when the gelding lines up in the Group 3 Southern Cross Stakes. I think he’s probably not quite as sharp as he once was so the 1200m may suit. Rosehill is probably the track to do it. It’s a little hard to find those 1100m races so it’s tricky from that respect. Hopefully he can just do his own thing and if he is back to his best he’ll be very competitive. We’ll be positive with him, we won’t change anything, and I think Josh (Parr) gets on with him the best so that gives us confidence.
Horse: Lady Of Luxury
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 9, Schweppes Hcp) We thought this race was a good chance for her to get back into form. I’d love it to be 1300m but she’s in good order and she ran a very honest race at the Magic Millions. Hopefully they go quick enough and give her a chance to finish off.
Horse: Stefi Magnetica
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 10, Expect It All This Autumn At ATC Hcp) She galloped brilliantly on Tuesday and it was well publicised she was unlucky at Flemington and if she has luck in running she won’t be out of it. I think she is improving all the time and I’d like to think she is a stakes horse in the making.
From Jason Deamer
Horse: Hard To Say
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 4, Southern Cross Stakes) Hard To Say was a revelation in his last preparation, putting together four consecutive wins. He has always shown us a bit, it has just taken a while for the penny to drop. He used to want to overdo things. He would come out of the gates and want to come back underneath you and settle but now he is pretty good. They can get him out of the gates, put him in a handy spot and switch him off. He’s got quite a strong finish on him. He should have finished in the placings (in the Magic Millions Sprint), at least 3rd. The trip away didn’t hurt him at all. He stays in the same box every time he goes up there and was straight back home the next day. The three weeks between runs will be ideal. It’s only a small field.
Horse: Major Artie
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 5, James Squire Hcp) Major Artie has had a few weeks between runs and is racing consistently without winning. I’ve only had him for a few runs but just got him back to his old racing pattern racing out in front and seems to enjoy that, and fights on well.
From Team Snowden
Horse: Fearless
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 3, Canonbury Stakes) A son of first season sire Pierata, Fearless was spelled after finishing 4th on debut in the Breeders’ Plate last spring and has won his two lead-up trials, the first when pulling himself forward to sit outside the leader and the latter when he came from back in the field. Contrary to the first trial he had when he was up on speed and doing a little bit too much within himself, he relaxed well and hit the line extremely well in his latest trial, so he will be ridden accordingly. He’s a lovely horse. He did a lot of things wrong (in the Breeders’ Plate) and still ran quite well, so I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do. He’s pretty forward and he’s got a bit of class so that will take him a long way.
Horse: King Of Roseau
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 3, Canonbury Stakes) King Of Roseau heads to the Canonbury with the benefit of two recent runs under his belt. King Of Roseau, he’s done nothing wrong. He battled away well the other day, he was dictated to by the horse up on speed and it quickened very quickly for him. He was left a bit flat-footed but he was strong through the line. He’s a tough horse who continues to do well in the stable.
Horse: Wave Breaker
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 5, Widden Stakes) A trial winner at Canterbury in January, she wasn’t asked to extend when 3rd behind colts Fearless and Bodyguard in her most recent hitout. She’s resuming in a pretty talented field, but she deserves to get to this sort of race at this sort of level. Like all of them, they’ve got to put their hand up. Trials are one thing, race day pressure is totally different. But she is ready to be put under that and if she’s good enough, she will run well. We’re going in there to, if we can’t win, run a hole.
From Michael Freedman
Horse: Manaal
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 5, Widden Stakes) She’s one we’re hoping will measure up to the Golden Slipper and Saturday is that first step. It’s a bit of a cliché but you take it one run at a time, see how she goes there and how she comes out of it and plan from there. As you’d expect, the filly has developed with a spring break under her belt and I’ve been pleased with her barrier trials leading into her return. Early indications would suggest she’s come back a better physical specimen but until you line up against the other fillies and two-year-olds there’s a bit of guesswork. She’s had a nice build up and she’s ready to go. While she’s ready to go she’s by no means screwed right down. She’s hopefully got a reasonable autumn ahead of her and some bigger targets if she looks like she can measure up to that level. Under the set weights and penalties she’s at a bit of a disadvantage against the other fillies but I guess she’s earned that with a win in the Gimcrack (Stakes). I think she’s going to have to be ridden a little conservatively which over the 1100m at Rosehill is probably not ideal. If I could see her making up some nice ground late in the race and looking like she’s going to enjoy getting out over further that’ll be good enough for me.
From Annabel Neasham
Horse: Lady Laguna
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 4, Southern Cross Stakes) Lady Laguna is on a hat-trick having captured the Listed Nudgee Stakes and Magic Millions fillies and mares’ at her past two starts.
Horse: Pushpa
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 5, Widden Stakes) She is a Pierata filly who won a trial last week and she’s a nice filly. Pushpa has trialled three times in preparation for Saturday, winning her latest 900m heat at Rosehill where she sat three-wide on the speed before pulling clear in a promising performance.
From The Editor
Sydney Race 3 – Prost
Sydney Race 4 – Hard To Say
Sydney Race 7 – Robusto
