Bjorn Baker is almost certain Shades Of Rose will produce an infinitely better first-up display at Rosehill than she did at the same venue last preparation.
“First-up last time in she bucked, so I’m very confident we’re a little bit ahead of that,” Baker said.
The bucking display forced jockey Tim Clark to ease Shades Of Rose out of the benchmark 72 race but all was soon forgiven as she rocketed through the grades with four successive wins, culminating in a Group 2 Sheraco Stakes victory.
That earned Shades Of Rose an unexpected call-up into The Everest where she finished a gallant eighth to Giga Kick after being plucked out of the spelling paddock to run.
It was a meteoric rise and Baker says the four-year-old is back bigger and better as she chases a first Group 1 win in The Galaxy (1100m).
“She’s had two good trials, she had an easy gallop between races at Warwick Farm and I think she is very, very forward and ready to run, hopefully, one of her career-best runs first-up,” Baker said.
“She went through the grades remarkably well last time and her two trials have been an improvement on what we’ve seen – she was able to sit off them in the first one and was strong late.
“There are no easy races, it’s a very competitive race and she has probably drawn a bit awkwardly (barrier 10), but she’s got that natural speed so we’ll roll forward and I’m pretty happy with her.”
Shades Of Rose has been confirmed to fill Magic Bloodstock’s slot in the inaugural running of Perth’s richest race, the $4 million The Quokka (1200m) at Ascot on April 15.
It leaves the door open for her to contest the T J Smith Stakes (1200m) at Randwick two weeks earlier, but Baker isn’t committing to a start in the Group 1, preferring to first see how she fares this weekend.
With the scratching of In The Congo, Shades Of Rose will face 11 rivals including 2021 Galaxy winner Eduardo and his Joe Pride stablemate and Expressway Stakes victor Mariamia, along with Oakleigh Plate hero Uncommon James who makes his Sydney debut.
– RAS NewsWire
