From Rod Northam
Horse: Sharp Shock
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 2, Highway Hcp) He recorded successive Highway placings at the end of last year but things haven’t quite gone to plan with midfield finishes at his two most recent starts, though there were excuses for his latest effort behind Atmospheric Rock. He was trained to hopefully win first-up or if not second-up and try to sneak into the Country Championships. He’s got one sharp sprint and if you ride him upside down he doesn’t seem to finish off. So you have to ride him quiet and come with one run. If he won he’d probably sneak in (to Tamworth), and I’d be confident he’d be a chance in that race as he’s set up a bit better preparation wise.
Horse: Palazzo Prince
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 2, Highway Hcp) Palazzo Prince would definitely need to win the TAB Highway to be any chance of sneaking into the Hunter & North West Championships at Tamworth. He’s in the deep end, it’s not an easy Highway so we’ll get a gauge on where he’s at. There’s lots of options, I’ll just take it day by day. We haven’t rushed him so there’s no point rushing him now. He’s only a 61 rater, realistically you’ve got to be 69 or 70 to get in. If he won I’d probably nominate him but if I have an inkling he’s had enough I’d probably give him a freshen up and get him ready for something at Scone. He’s got plenty of talent, he’s pretty green, but he won’t be able to make too many mistakes on Saturday from where he’s drawn (gate 15).
From Michael Freedman
Horse: Ducasse
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 8, Hobartville Stakes) Ducasse had a largely luckless spring in which he was competitive in several stakes races despite often having his prospects cruelled by wide draws. Sometimes it can be a bit habit forming where they keep running nice races without getting the job done. Particularly with colts more so than fillies, it’s important to get them in that winning frame of mind and hopefully he can build a nice platform off that. Along with a positive first-up experience, Ducasse has fared well in the barrier draw with gate 2. That will give jockey Tommy Berry the option to settle the horse closer in the run if he wants to, while a 200m distance rise will suit.
From John Sargent
Horse: Mountain Guest
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 1, Midway Hcp) I wouldn’t be surprised if Mountain Guest proved competitive in the Midway at her return from a break since finishing midfield in the Group 3 Angst Stakes in the spring. She won first-up last time so I think she will run a cheeky race as she gets in quite well at the weights (56kg).
Horse: Glad You Think So
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 1, Midway Hcp) Glad You Think So is likely to take the lower road to the Group 1 Australian Derby and Saturday’s Midway was the right move after a pleasing first-up run at midweek level. Glad You Think So came from a clear last on the turn to be narrowly beaten by Soldier Of Love over 1400m at Warwick Farm and while I’d love it to be a mile, he’s entitled to be competitive getting in with just 54.5kg. You’d like to see him produce a decent run, if you have Derby aspirations you want to be running well in a Midway race. I just thought a Midway is a nice stepping stone for him. He should get back a bit from the draw (gate 2) and be hitting the line.
Horse: Palmetto
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 6, Yarraman Park Hcp) Palmetto had won the $500,000 The Coast at Gosford in May and the $1 million Five Diamonds Prelude at Randwick in October and if he’s going to take the leap to a Doncaster he’ll need to continue to develop. I think he’s come back stronger and he should be in for a nice prep. I thought it was a nice race to kick him off and we can claim the 3kg (with Molly Bourke). He has grown into himself, he was quite weak and has taken time. He seems in nice order as you’d have seen in his last trial so I’m very happy. If he comes up well he could get in light into the big mile. From the soft draw (gate 1) he should put himself in the race, he likes to race on speed, and hopefully he will run well. If there’s any rain around it won’t bother him. He pings the gates, and he’ll be in the first four or five in the running. He has a short, sharp, sprint so hopefully he can produce that good finish.
From Keith Dryden
Horse: Vinolass
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 2, Highway Hcp) A speed mare who has won three from four in exceptional times. I’ve always had a big opinion of her, I’m hoping she can accumulate enough credentials in time for the Moruya leg of the Country Championships (March 3), so essential we get to run here. She started favourite in a city Benchmark 72 and got beat less than a length by a nice horse (Super Bright). That’s as good as any form here. If we’re in (as 3rd emergency), she’ll run a race, might be close to favourite. She was brilliant as a filly and I was confident she’d come back stronger and more mature as a mare and second-up she’ll take improvement. It’s like building a house, you lay strong foundations and take whatever time is needed. We’ve done that with this mare. We’re thinking positive because there’s always been a precedent of several scratching from these races with wide draws in capacity fields and two early (scratchings) is looking good for us.
From Matthew Dunn
Horse: Fukubana
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 8, Hobartville Stakes) Fukubana will be given his chance at Group level having won two of four starts to date. I think he’ll measure up okay, he was good as a two-year-old against some nice horses down there, I think he’s a horse that will improve third up, I think he’ll improve against better opposition with more genuine tempo on. He’s been there and done it (at Rosehill), it’s not new to him, it’s always the best thing to help, for nice horses like him it’s something he’ll need to get used to. It hasn’t come easy to him, he’s not a natural racehorse, he’s still fighting himself through his work, he’s only just learnt to relax in his work so I think he’s only going to get better, he’ll get a mile at least, possibly further. He was good the other day in a slowly run race, probably wasn’t entitled to win the way the race was run, I think he’ll measure up really well.
From John O’Shea
Horse: Diamil
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 5, Parramatta Cup) Diamil has found conditions to suit after a pleasing first-up run. It’s been almost a year since the six-year-old’s last win, the Group 3 JRA Plate on a heavy track back in April, and with James McDonald back on board for the first time since that win, the Parramatta Cup is an opportunity. The jockey riding him on Saturday seems to have an affiliation with him. We’ve been happy with him all prep, he ran very well last time and up to stable expectations and he hasn’t taken a step back. In an ideal world the track will stay in the soft range and McDonald will be able to make good use of an inside barrier. We can’t fault him. He didn’t get out of the gates real good (first-up) so we’d really like him to jump and take a spot if he could.
Horse: Stroke Of Luck
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 5, Parramatta Cup) He needs to get started because he has a few things on his agenda. He came back into the stable in great order, his work has been really good and the trials excellent. He’s about having a relatively light autumn with a view to hopefully getting him to Melbourne at the end of the year.
Horse: Premise
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 6, Yarraman Park Hcp) We set her up to go to the Matriarch, she had a really good lead up race in Sydney three weeks out then got to Melbourne and didn’t acclimatise well or settle well and ran accordingly. We got her back at the farm and she trialled up really well the other day. I wouldn’t think she’s a winning chance on Saturday but I think she will run well and go to the Aspiration. She’s come on and she loves getting her toe in the ground so I expect her to give a good account.
Horse: Cafe Millenium
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 8, Hobartville Stakes) After winning his latest trial, Cafe Millennium can start to live up to his promise this year. He’s finally grown into his big frame, we just need him to execute out of the gates a bit better. Nash (Rawiller) did give him a good education at his last trial and he raced accordingly. If we can get all that sorted out that’d be good. We’re happy with him, he put in a lovely piece of work and hopefully we can get continuity to his program to get him out to 10 furlongs this time which would appear to be the right distance for him.
From Joseph Pride
Horse: Argentia
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 7, Millie Fox Stakes) Argentia mixed her form last campaign, her best result a 2nd to Buenos Noches in the Show County Quality. She drops back from open company to fillies and mares’ grade and I want to see some signs she still has a competitive flame. It’s a very important run for her Saturday. She has teased so far without delivering. Her best run last time was a 2nd to Buenos Noches on a soft seven, so that’s the ground that she wants.
Horse: Lekvarte
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 7, Millie Fox Stakes) Lekvarte strung together a three-race winning sequence, culminating in an impressive display in the Group 3 Belle Of The Turf Stakes at Gosford in December. She ran in a staying race up there in Brisbane in the winter then I gave her a long spell and she just came back so well. She was red-hot (last preparation). She has had a very short break but given the way she trialled the other day, she has picked up where she left off.
Horse: Ceolwulf
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 8, Hobartville Stakes) He is going to need to deliver to stay a colt. There is no use leaving them a bull if they can’t be competitive in Group races, which he has been so far. He’s a very promising horse, but there will be a decision this prep. Ceolwulf resumes at Rosehill but will carry residual fitness from an unlucky appearance against the older horses in the summer where he finished 6th after being cluttered up for a vital part of the straight. I am confident the horse only needs to continue on his current trajectory to be a force this autumn. I’ll have a pretty good idea after Saturday whether we’ll end up being in the Derby, or if we can get serious about the (Randwick) Guineas in a few weeks’ time. It’s a very important run. But you saw him measure up, he beat Tom Kitten home running second to Encap in the Ming Dynasty, he just needs to improve on that performance a bit and he’s going to be there with the best of his generation.
From Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott
Horse: Espionage
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 4, Silver Slipper Stakes) Espionage has had the luxury of a lengthy break. He heads into the autumn on fresh legs. Espionage is the forgotten horse. He was put away after the Breeders’ Plate purely to forget about everything else and concentrate on setting him for the Golden Slipper.
Horse: Straight Charge
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 4, Silver Slipper Stakes) Straight Charge was being set for a Magic Millions tilt but didn’t get to the race after spiking a temperature. However, we are confident we have him back on track.
From The Editor
Sydney Race 4 – Straight Charge
Sydney Race 5 – Zennzella
Sydney Race 8 – Encap
