The Winter Stakes meeting will be held at Rosehill Gardens this Saturday. The course proper was rated a Soft 6 on Thursday and with overcast weather in Sydney leading up to the weekend, Rosehill is likely to border on Good/Soft condition on raceday.
The Mark Newnham-trained Fulmina is a terrific light weight chance in the De Bortoli Wines Handicap (Sydney Race 2, 2000m). This Snitzel 3YO filly is a last start winner at Rosehill and she can handle any track condition. Stepping up to 2000m 4th up looks perfect. Rachel King won on the filly last start and will keep the mount. Fulmina is in-form and with the limit weight of only 53kg on her back, Fulmina can continue her winning run.
Top weight Lewis is a last start winner and the gelding can make it back-to-back metropolitan wins in the Bowermans Commercial Furniture Handicap (Sydney Race 4, 1500m). The 3YO won over a mile 1st up at Warwick Farm on 17th June and Chris Waller has given Lewis a 900m trial at Rosehill a week ago to keep the gelding’s fitness up to the mark. Regular rider Nash Rawiller will once again be on board and from barrier 7, Rawiller will just sit on the slipstream of likely leaders Frosty Rocks and Cafe Royal and Lewis will be making his move in the straight and be hard to catch.
In-form hoop Sam Clipperton can combine with the Waller-trained Order Again to takeout the feature race of the meeting – Kia Winter Stakes (Sydney Race 7, 1400m). The gelding finished 4th over the Randwick mile two starts back and he did a good job having beaten all but Trumbull over this track & trip in the Civil Stakes two weeks ago. Though he won on Heavy tracks before, the drying track may actually suit the 6YO better. With reasonable pace in the race, Clipperton will settle mid-field and expect Order Again to finish the race off better than anything else.
By Owens Wong, Editor
