From Danielle Seib
Horse: Associate
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 3, Highway Plate) We put the ear muffs on and took the blinkers off, I wanted him to have a quiet trial. I didn’t quite think he’d fall into a coma like he did (beaten 13 lengths). In the past he’s trialled a little too brilliantly and doured off quicker than I’d like. We didn’t want him to overdo it, which he certainly didn’t. He has come through really well. About a week before that trial he galloped in company with Hell I Am, stride for stride, in brilliant work. Under the set weights conditions of the Highway he’s thrown in with 56kg after the 3kg claim for Hannah Williams. Perhaps you’d like to see him at Randwick moreso than Rosehill but I think that’s offset with the claim by Hannah. If we need to we can ride him a little bit tough, if he’s got to make a sustained run from the 800m to put himself into it we can do that. We’re in very well at the weights and Hannah has done a lot of work with the horse since he was young and knows him very well. He should be able to make a run on the outside of horses and that’s going to benefit him.
Horse: Kenichi
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 3, Highway Plate) Kenichi finished 3rd behind Gentileschi in the Highway on Hawkesbury Cup Day after leading and Jett Stanley’s (2kg) claim will come in handy. It was a really big effort behind what looks to be a very nice horse. He’s not a one trick pony, he does have a turn of foot, and I’d like to see him follow something into the race but he probably naturally lands first four or so.
Horse: Amarantz
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 3, Highway Plate) Amarantz chased home Ningaloo Star in a 1250m Benchmark 72 at Kensington when she returned from her break and that effort proved she’s on track to improve through the preparation. She’s had a lengthy spell and we’ve built her up a bit slower this time around. We gave her a few good pieces of work at home and went for a shorter trip first-up. Gate one, we’ll just have to get a bit of luck to get off the fence at the right stage.
From Pat Murphy
Horse: Sass ‘N’ Cheek
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 3, Highway Plate) Sass ‘N’ Cheek will take her place in the Highway Handicap despite drawing barrier 19 and chasing her third win in a row after successes at Wagga and Goulburn. I was looking for any reason to pull the pin and give her a break, but she has just shown me the opposite. I would have liked to draw softer, but we just need to get something to follow. She is just flying.
Horse: Body Bob
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 10, Rosehill Bowling Club Hcp) It was a really good experience (racing in the Group 1 Doomben 10,000) for both myself and the horse and it’s a great ownership group. We had fun doing it. Body Bob will carry 56.5kg on Saturday after the three-kilo claim of apprentice Hannah Williams, who will be having her first race ride on the four-year-old. Hannah actually rides him in a lot of his trackwork so it’s really good to be able to reward her with the ride.
From Brad Widdup
Horse: Left Field
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 5, Bisley Workwear Hcp) The poor horse can’t draw a gate (12) but she’s going extra well and is in good order. She’s a really nice filly, when I first got her I thought she’d run 1400m on her ear and I tried to push her out to it last time in. We’ve kept her to short distances this time in and that’s her go. She attacks the line. I don’t know if I’ll go too much further through the winter with her. It’d be nice to get a good result before we stop with her but I think she’s going to be a really nice mare.
Horse: Jedibeel
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 10, Rosehill Bowling Club Hcp) Jedibeel has won four races from 11 starts but is yet to win beyond the 1100m trip – though to be fair he’s only had two attempts and been placed in both. I’m sure he should run it. Especially from the draw (5). He was a colt last time though and I was treating him like he could run a mile but I worked out that he can’t. He’s very genuine, I know he’s a four-year-old and he’s still a brute of a thing but I don’t think the penny’s dropped yet. I’m hoping he should be more than able at 1200m.
From Annabel Neasham
Horse: Sibaaq
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 7, Lord Mayors Cup) Sibaaq was still in front at the 100m of the Scone Cup two weeks ago after sitting outside the leader but he was swamped late to finish 4th. Sibaaq was huge in the Scone Cup. They ran along at a really solid tempo which probably set it up for the backmarkers, he was I think pretty much the only horse up on the pace that was still fighting out the finish and he went down by a narrow margin. There was a lot more effort to that run than probably met the eye. I’ve taken the blinkers off him, going up to the 2000m I thought he probably doesn’t need those. He’s an honest horse who doesn’t know how to run a bad race.
Horse: Star Of India
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 7, Lord Mayors Cup) Star Of India sustained a tendon injury after winning the Rosehill Gold Cup in the spring of 2022 at his Australian debut and he is making a racetrack return in the Lord Mayors Cup. Star Of India has trialled three times in preparation for his comeback. He’s been in the stable a long time, he’s had a lot of groundwork leading into this. It’s going to be a tough ask to win this race first-up after 18 months off but just look for him to hit the line strongly late and hopefully he’s in for a good campaign.
Horse: Perfect Play
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 8, TAB Hcp) Import Perfect Play isn’t far off a win after two placings from as many starts for the stable though the TAB Handicap (1800m) may still be short of what he’s craving. He’s been good in his first two starts in Australia but he’s possibly looking for the 2000m now. There isn’t one for him for a fortnight so I thought we’d run him again at 1800m and hopefully he’s there or thereabouts.
From Gerald Ryan & Sterling Alexiou
Horse: Commanding Artist
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 2, Ranvet Hcp) It was a bit of a nothing race first-up. Nash (Rawiller) said he began well and they went quick for about 100m so he elected to ease and as soon as he made that decision the speed came out of the race. If he runs well he’ll head up for the JJ Atkins. I think drawn in four, if we can be positive and put him in the first three or four you’ll see a much improved performance from him.
Horse: Franz Josef
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 4, EGroup Protective Services Hcp) Franz Josef his first two starts at 1400m and 1600m, is 2.5kg better off for a 1-3/4 length defeat (by Captain Furai) over 1300m on a heavy track and he’ll appreciate getting out in distance with the run under his belt. He was going into that run with improvement to come and while we thought his class would be good enough to get him across the line he might have bumped into a handy one on the day giving it a bit of weight and race fitness. He’ll jump and be prominent, a dry track would be a big tick for him and the step up in distance will be a big tick. He’ll run really well.
Horse: Tsarino Sophia
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 6, Toyota Forklifts Hcp) She was super at Canterbury first-up and second-up and we probably tried to stretch her out a bit too far. She bounces on the bunny in her trials and can show good gate speed but on race day she seems to be a different entity. Unless she draws well she struggles to put herself in a spot. She hasn’t won for a while but she’s in really good shape albeit she will improve off whatever she does.
Horse: Williamsburg
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 7, Lord Mayors Cup) The timing’s right for Williamsburg to step up in distance and the Listed Lord Mayors Cup (2000m) is a good chance to test the waters. He’s been restricted to a mile or below this season and he’s shown he’s knocking on the door with second placings at his past two starts. It’s been a while since we’ve been tempted to step him up to 2000m but we thought his form warrants it. We’d like to give him another go and that might decide whether we look at something like the Five Diamonds in the spring. The barrier draw (12) this week is a potential hurdle but with a drop of 6kg to 54kg they may look to take luck out of the equation. It’s not the easiest start for awkward draw but with the light weight if there’s a chance of getting forward and getting a spot we’d probably go that way. I think he’s in really good form. Although he’s a lover of a wet track he might have been beaten by better wet tracker on the day in “The Coast”.
From Stephen Jones
Horse: Don’tcha Think
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 3, Highway Plate) Don’tcha Think contests the set weights Highway Plate, 1500m after tailing out 27 lengths on heavy at Randwick last month but rebounding with a dominant win at Tamworth. Always had a high opinion, big and strong and progressing like a Country Championships horse until Randwick? I was unsure on heavy, drew wide up in grade, won well on soft but evident now he just doesn’t handle the worst side of heavy. Just a different horse at Tamworth. The So You Thinks generally get through it but his only two real failures were on a heavy 8 and 10 drawn out at Randwick. He’d been so genuine. Late to mature and getting out to where his breed is best, 1600m to 2000m. And hopefully an (track) upgrade for Saturday. Not concerned about the wide draw (17) he needs galloping room. Inside in big fields, you can get cluttered up.
From Marc Chevalier
Horse: Everyone’s A Star
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 1, Midway Hcp) She’s won four races this prep including three in town. Everyone’s A Star will be having her 12th start this campaign in the Midway Handicap and while she’s lumped with the 60kg, the barrier one offsets it to a degree. At Scone she just didn’t appreciate the track at all, after two days of racing and being the last race on the second day the track was a bit worn. They’d had a bit of rain on it and she didn’t let down on that track. We’re racing at 11am (on Saturday) so the track will definitely be in better order this time. We were thinking should we stay around (Midway) grade with a bit of weight (60kg) but she’s a big girl so I don’t think it would bother her too much and she’s finally got a good gate (1). She’s the soundest horse I’ve had anything to do with and that makes my job so much easier. She’s always in a happy mood, she’s eating well, and she’s an easy horse to train. (Jockey) Louis (Beuzelin) knows her well and it’s all looking promising.
Horse: Morpheus Bragi
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 5, Bisley Workwear Hcp) A new addition to the stable, the gelding created a good impression with a head-bobbing defeat on a heavy track at Gosford on May 16. He’s a wet tracker and they couldn’t find a wet track in Melbourne so they moved the horse to me to race on a wet track. It was a good start for us, we’ll see what the weather does. He showed good qualities at Gosford and with a bit less weight he should be handy in that race.
Horse: Torrens
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 7, Lord Mayors Cup) Torrens is set to return in the Listed Lord Mayors Cup (2000m) as he gears up for the Winter Cup in two weeks. It’ll be a nice warm up race for him and the Winter Cup will be a perfect race for him. The 2000m might be a bit short for him. He’s a class horse on his day, you never know with him but he’s in a happy place at the moment.
From Chris Waller
Horse: Waterford
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 7, Lord Mayors Cup) Waterford resumed with a solid win over 1500m at Rosehill in April and following it up with a fast-finishing 2nd in the Scone Cup. Waterford drew gate 13 at Eagle Farm and 14 at Rosehill and I couldn’t see the point in sending him on the long road trip north to take on an arguably harder field from a tough alley. He will stay here. He has drawn awkwardly in both places, but you may as well draw awkwardly in your backyard than go all that way. He is going really well. He was a bit stiff in the Scone Cup but ran well, and the start before that he was good.
Horse: Foniska
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 7, Lord Mayors Cup) European import Foniska failed to beat a rival home at her Australian debut, and while she will improve with more exposure to the local racing style, she is ultimately looking for a rain-affected track.
Horse: Political Debate
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 7, Lord Mayors Cup) Political Debate had pleased the stable since getting too far back in a slowly run race at Randwick last Saturday and would back-up in the 2000m feature. The four-year-old beat all but subsequent Group 1 placegetter Fawkner Park in the Wagga Cup two starts ago and if he can reproduce that effort, he could be hard to hold out on the 53kg minimum. Nothing ran on in the race last week and that’s the reason for backing him up. He didn’t have a tough run. He’s got a light weight, tricky draw (9) again but hopefully it’s a different type of race.
From The Editor
Sydney Race 4 – Captain Furai
Sydney Race 5 – Pisanello
Sydney Race 7 – Political Debate
