Godolphin’s classy colt Astern has drawn wide at barrier twelve in the fourteen field for the Group 1 $1m Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
Astern, above with royal blue colours, has drawn a wide barrier in the Golden Rose at Rosehill. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Trainer John O’Shea will also saddle up Impending who has drawn a lot better at two with Brenton Avdulla retaining the ride after the pair ran third to stablemate Astern in the Group 2 $175,000 MTA Run To The Rose (1200m) at Rosehill on August 27.
O’Shea would have been happier if the barriers had been swapped after saying yesterday that Astern would be the one to beat if he could draw a good barrier.
James McDonald will stick with Astern who has won four of his five race starts with his only defeat being when he ran eleventh to Capitalist in the Group 1 $3.5m Longines Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill during the Sydney Autumn Carnival.
Leading Sydney trainer Chris Waller will saddle up two runners, smart filly Omei Sword who has drawn perfectly at barrier three and Nikitas who will jump from the middle of the pack at barrier eight.
Omei Sword joined Astern at the top of the market order for the Golden Rose yesterday when Waller confirmed she would take her place in the field and the High Chaparral filly now heads the betting by herself at $3.60 at Ladbrokes.com.au after drawing an ideal barrier.
Omei Sword will be hard to beat if she can repeat her first up three and a quarter lengths win in the Group 2 $175,000 Alpha Flight Services Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on August 20.
Waller has called on the services of Hong Kong’s leading rider Joao Moreira to partner Omei Sword with Silver Shadow Stakes winning jockey Brenton Avdulla taking the ride on Impending and Hugh Bowman, who does a lot of riding for the Waller’s stable, stays with El Divino who has drawn nicely at barrier four.
Bowman elected to ride the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott trained El Divino in the Golden Rose before the half brother to Winx ran fourth in The Run To The Rose.
Waterhouse and Bott will also saddle up Thronum who has drawn one from the outside at barrier thirteen with Kerrin McEvoy to take the ride.
Golden Slipper winning combination of jockey Blake Shinn and co-trainers Peter and Paul Snowden will be trying to win another Rosehill Group 1 with Mediterranean who drawn okay at barrier five.
Shinn has been aboard Mediterranean at his last two starts for a second to Thronum in Listed $100,000 The Randwick City Council Rosebud (1200m) at Randwick on August 6 followed by a fifth to Astern in The Run To The Rose.
Tommy Berry will probably settle near the tail of the field on Divine Prophet who has drawn barrier ten and he will be hoping that here is plenty of pace on up front to give him every chance to overhaul the leaders.
The Team Hawkes trained Divine Prophet produced a whirl wind finish to come from last to win the Group 3 $125,000 Primo Smallgoods Up and Coming Stakes (1300m) at Randwick on August 20.
Inglis Sire’s winner Yankee Rose has drawn barrier nine with Zac Purton flying in from Hong Kong to maintain his association with the David Vandyke trained filly.
Market order for the Golden Rose at Ladbrokes.com.au: $3.60 Omei Sword, $3.80 Astern, $4.80 Divine Prophet, $9.50 Yankee Rose, $12 Impending, $13 Derryn, $16 El Divino, $19 Mediterranean, $31 Thronum, $51 Good Standing, $61 Nikitas, $101 O’Reilly Cyrus, Oink, $151 Chamalu.
