From Tim Martin
Horse: Give Me Joy
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 10, James Squire Handicap) Give Me Joy has good ability but can be temperamental and is still learning the craft despite being a four-year-old. She has put together back-to-back wins at Wyong and will look to make it a winning hat-trick in the James Squire Handicap. She’s a bit of a nutcase. It’s a bit of a test for her and it will answer a few questions but we are keen to run her. She is very tough and a bit untapped really. She’s very raw. I think she is gone forward again off that. If she can contain herself going to the start, that’s the issue with her when she is saddled up and getting to the start. She is fine in the barriers and if she can get a soft time in transit and not over-race, I think she will be a chance. She will go forward and most probably lead. There doesn’t look to be much pace in the race and she can come across and lead. If things go her way, she should be in the finish.
From Angela Davies
Horse: Our Kobison
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 9, TAB Hcp) It is a huge boost knowing the in-demand rider (James McDonald) wants to be on him. Definitely. He is very careful with his rides, he doesn’t just take any of them. You know he’s got an opinion of the horse. Our Kobison has the potential to continue racing his way through the grades. He’s pretty well still untapped. I’m hoping he can reach Listed level. It will be interesting to see how far he can go. It will be a test again Saturday but if he keeps turning up, you get a bit excited. It’s hard enough getting a Saturday horse for small trainers, we just don’t have the volume and numbers coming through.
From Dar Lunn
Horse: Elson Boy
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 2, Highway Hcp) Elson Boy has not won in two preparations for the stable, has “found a leg” this season winning three from four. I’ve had him from a late two-year-old, the big difference was more maturity and the blinkers going on, been a real slow learner this one. Might not have beaten much but the wins (last two starts at Orange & Dubbo) have been really good and if we win another one back home, he’s not eligible for Highways and that level of prizemoney. So up to far harder grade but 54.5kg here, against the 61kg at Cowra, for a lot less prizemoney. They can only win. And if they keep progressing we all have hopes they might be a Country Championships horse. He’s only four, bred well enough, while he was slowly putting it together, we changed tactics. Riding him back and hoping he’d close off wasn’t working. So we decided to ride him on-pace. When he won his maiden at Orange, he drew the outside, we decided with Jake to dig him up and he led on his ear and won impressively. Then this prep he put two more together and the times were good enough – I rarely come to town. Only if I’ve got one in winning form and progressive. The only way to find out their level; he’s won twice at the 1400m and Jake (Pracey-Holmes) was happy to travel down for the ride.
From Bjorn Baker
Horse: Caballus
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 5, Toyota Forklifts Hcp) He’s a lovely horse. He has obviously shown he is talented, he’s already had that Sydney win and he’s had a nice transition to the stable (from Chris Waller). We just want to see him go out and do it on Saturday. There is openness there from us. He has been going really well in his trials, but race day is a different scenario. He had a little bit of a boom on him when he was at Chris’, so we’re mindful we want to see him put the writing on the wall. If he can deliver on Saturday, he will stave off any thoughts of a gelding procedure, at least for now. At the moment, we want to try him as a colt. We haven’t made any decisions, he was an expensive yearling. But his attitude has been great, his work has been really good and that has shown in his trials as well.
Horse: Thunderlips
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 5, Toyota Forklifts Hcp) Thunderlips has undergone a gelding procedure following his loss of form in the spring. He was one that definitely needed it (gelding). He didn’t want to concentrate a lot of the times. Last preparation, especially, was not what we’ve seen from him at home and what we expected of him. We will be looking for him to get back to somewhere near what we feel he can do.
From Team Snowden
Horse: Customized
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 1, Ned Australian Whisky Hcp) Customized ran 3rd behind subsequent Magic Millions winner Storm Boy in the B J McLachlan Stakes at his only start. It’s really good form because it was his very first start in a race. He ran a good 3rd, he popped out to challenge late and the second horse (Poster Girl) gave him a decent bump a hundred metres out from the line and didn’t beat him by far. The winner went on and won the Magic Millions and the second horse ran sixth. He’s a nice horse going forward.
Horse: King Of Roseau
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 1, Ned Australian Whisky Hcp) King Of Roseau took out Canberra’s Clan O’Sullivan at his first outing. The colt was wayward in the straight on debut but responded every time he was challenged and while he remains a work in progress, he has good ability. We’ve added winkers to his gear, just to help straighten him up. But he’s a nice horse and he’s going the right way. If he puts everything together, he is probably Saturday class. But at the moment he’s still learning and you can’t afford to make mistakes at this level, otherwise you get found out pretty quick. It just depends how quickly he puts it all together, but he seems to be a horse with a bit of talent.
From Robert Quinn
Horse: Bronco Revolution
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 1, Ned Australian Whisky Hcp) The daughter of Russian Revolution put the writing on the wall with an encouraging 3rd at Canterbury on debut. Camping on the heels of a solid speed, she hit the front halfway up the straight and was only narrowly overhauled by backmarkers in the final bounds. It (Inglis Millennium) has been a target for a little while, so if it was all to come together on Saturday, that would be brilliant. Her trials have been great and we were delighted with her first run. They broke ten-and-a-half (seconds) in the first furlong, there was huge speed. The winner came from last and it was a huge effort to box on as she did.
From Mark Minervini
Horse: Meritable
Message: (Saturday, Rosehill Race 4, Rosehill Bowling Club Hcp) Placed in the Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas at three, Meritable hasn’t quite gone on with the job in his handful of starts since arriving in Australia almost two years ago. However, he turned in his best performance for some time when runner-up to Dragonstone in the Listed Starlight Stakes at his first appearance for the stable in December, before finishing down the track behind Noble Soldier last time out. I think the older horses with a bit of a mind, Nash (Rawiller) might be the right man for the job. He seems to be able to get the best out of horses that other guys can’t, so I’m hoping it’s the right move, but the proof will be in the pudding on Saturday.
From The Editor
Sydney Race 1 – Customized
Sydney Race 5 – Soldier Of Rome
Sydney Race 7 – Danaustar
