From Grant Allard
Horse: Magic On Ice
Message: (Saturday, Gosford Race 3, Midway Hcp) The gelding ran out a dominant winner at Gosford over 1100m on Anzac Day. He loves the wet, it was a small enough field and he was able to find a nice position off the pace and draw away at the end the other day. He’s drawn a bit awkwardly (on Saturday in gate 11) and is going to need a bit of luck but he’s had three runs back for two dominant wins and hopefully he can go on with the job. The beauty of Gosford is you have a nice long straight before you start turning. Hopefully he can be positive out of the gates and gets in somewhere nice and handy.
Horse: Majestic Shot
Message: (Saturday, Gosford Race 8, Takeover Target Stakes) It’s been four weeks since the four-year-old’s luckless second-up 5th in the Group 2 Sapphire Stakes on a heavy 10 at Randwick and she appears to have taken no harm from the testing run. In that race she completely blew the start, making her job that much tougher on a track where it was hard to make ground. She has done it before, she missed the start when she won her second race, but I do prefer her to jump away and be on pace. She stepped away nicely first-up, she sat 3rd on the fence and hopefully she will be much the same on Saturday. Hopefully she is in the firing line. If she can jump away and put herself in the firing line early she should be in the finish.
From Joseph Pride
Horse: Dehorned Unicorn
Message: (Saturday, Gosford Race 4, Thunder Thousand 3 & 4YO BM72 Hcp) Expects the three-year-old to prove hard to catch first-up in the Thunder Thousand. I’ve got a bit of time for this horse. He’s a very progressive young sprinter and this looks a lovely race for him. I would say he is our best chance at Gosford.
Horse: Kaapfever
Message: (Saturday, Gosford Race 7, Gosford Gold Cup) Kaapfever goes to Gosford after running a very good 6th in the Group 1 Sydney Cup then his 3rd behind Irish Sequel over 1800m at Randwick two weeks ago. The stayer who excels on soft and heavy track, drops 3kg to just 53kg for the Gosford Gold Cup. This is one of the strongest Gosford Cups I can remember and Kaapfever is really well, he’s not out of it.
Horse: Party For One
Message: (Saturday, Gosford Race 9, The Coast) Party For One chased home boom filly Espiona in the James HB Carr Stakes then ran 3rd to Mr Mozart in the Hawkesbury Guineas last week which is strong form for The Coast. On her pedigree, Party For One might be a risk at a mile but the way she races I think she will get the trip. It’s a good time to try her on the quick back-up after Hawkesbury last week when she ran on well. She’s going really well, she’s very honest and genuine. She has probably been getting too far back in her races but over 1600m she might be able to settle midfield. If she is within three or four lengths of the leaders on the turn, she will be hard to hold out.
From Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott
Horse: Resonator
Message: (Saturday, Gosford Race 1, Vital Hospitality Group 2YO Hcp) I think Resonator is a progressive horse. There is improvement in him and I’m hoping we will see more of him, particularly as he gets out over a bit further. We have a few options for him in Brisbane and if he was able to win and win well on Saturday, then the Sires’ (BRC Sires Produce Stakes) is the natural race for him then onto the JJ Atkins.
Horse: Command Approved
Message: (Saturday, Gosford Race 1, Vital Hospitality Group 2YO Hcp) Canberra winner on debut earlier in the season, resumed with a game 3rd to Bandi’s Boy on a bottomless Randwick track two weeks ago. The track conditions weren’t necessarily to Command Approved’s liking the other day but he went about things in a much better manner. I’m hoping we can see an improving track at Gosford.
Horse: Military Mission
Message: (Saturday, Gosford Race 5, Byrne Pipe & Civil BM78 Hcp) The English import is attempting a hattrick of wins in the Benchmark 78 handicap. Military Mission has raced on the speed and dominated at Canterbury and Hawkesbury. He’s been going well. There is more upside and we are hoping he can keep progressing for us. He has a bit of a tricky draw (gate 12) and a bit of weight to carry (61kg) but this looks the right stepping stone for him.
From Danny Williams
Horse: Shelby Sixtysix
Message: (Saturday, Gosford Race 8, Takeover Target Stakes) Shelby Sixtysix raced on five consecutive Saturdays and relishing the heavy tracks to split Eduardo and Nature Strip in the Challenge Stakes before winning the Maurice McCarten Stakes and Galaxy. We were looking at the weather for Queensland next week and they’re forecasting a lot of rain leading into Saturday. I’m contemplating going to Gosford and seven days later running in the Doomben 10,000. There’s a lot of questions to be answered before we go up there and one of those is, would he definitely get a run? He is just lacking recent racing. I know he only ran a fortnight ago, but he has only had the two runs in five weeks and it’s not the routine I would have liked. (Barrier 16) makes it very difficult around a track like Gosford that suits on-speed horses. He hasn’t got the speed to cross them. We will just have to see how it pans out.
From John O’Shea
Horse: Southern Lad
Message: (Saturday, Gosford Race 8, Takeover Target Stakes) Southern Lad has done a fantastic job for Champion Thoroughbreds and connections, winning seven races. Off a $60,000 purchase. He’s turned up every season, won a race every season and worked his way through the grades. They’ve had a bunch of fun with him and hopefully he’s still got plenty to come. He’s fit and well and happy and trialled well. Obviously getting on in years but he’s been a really good servant for the stable and there’s no reason why he wouldn’t be effective again this preparation.
Horse: Diamil
Message: (Saturday, Gosford Race 9, The Coast) Irish import Diamil has had three local runs since landing on our shores, including a dominant Warwick Farm victory two runs back, but was slightly disappointing when 5th at Randwick last start. There will be a gear change to switch the Awtaad entire back on. Just put a little bit of head gear on him. I just felt that it’s been something that I wanted to do. When he got beat the other day I thought it was an opportune time to do it. And particularly at Gosford, it’s a track where you need to be taking a spot early in the piece, hopefully it brings the desired effect. Diamil gets in well at the weights (52kg), with the track looking like being in the Soft range come Saturday. He’s got no weight and Rachel King is going to ride him. He’s effective on wet ground, just not that real heavy ground that we had the other day. He’s a four-year-old entire, he does very well between runs so we need to keep the work up to him. That’s why he had a good hit-out at Randwick last week and a run two weeks later really suits him.
From The Editor
Gosford Race 7 – Marroni
Gosford Race 8 – Gravina
Gosford Race 9 – Our Playboy
