Golden Rose Or Danehill Stakes For Nostradamus

Co-trainer Wayne Hawkes revealed that Team Hawkes will not decide until Thursday whether Nostradamus runs in the 2014 Golden Rose Stakes or the Group 2 Danehill Stakes (1200m) this weekend.

Nostradamus will run in either the 2014 Golden Rose Stakes in Sydney or the Danehill Stakes in Melbourne this weekend.

Nostradamus will run in either the 2014 Golden Rose Stakes in Sydney or the Danehill Stakes in Melbourne this weekend. Photo by: Steve Hart

The Group 1 Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill Gardens has always been on the agenda for Nostradamus, but Team Hawkes has been forced to rethink their plans with the Medaglia D’Oro colt due to the wet weather in Sydney that has plagued the 2014 Spring Racing Carnival to date.

Nostradamus resumed with an impressive victory in the Group 3 San Domenico Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill Gardens on August 16, but he failed to fire on a heavy track and beat home just three runners in the Group 3 The Run To The Rose (1200m) at the same venue on August 30.

Hawkes told Racing Ahead this morning that Nostradamus will be included in the acceptances for both the Group 1 Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) and Danehill Stakes, with the Sydney weather set to play a key role in which races the talented three-year-old contests.

“We will do what we did two weeks ago and accept with him in both places,” Hawkes said.

“We will book a float for 6.30 Thursday night and we will just have to call the ball either way.

“We now know that he doesn’t like wet tracks, the pedigree said he does, but the pedigree only means so much and you have to try them on the going.”

Nostradamus is currently 25th in the 2014 Golden Rose Stakes order of entry, but that will be enough to earn him a start in the Group 1 event at Rosehill Gardens this weekend.

The San Domenico Stakes winner remains on the fourth line of the 2014 Golden Rose Stakes betting market with Ladbrokes Australia at a quote of $9, while Silver Shadow Stakes winner Bring Me The Maid ($4.20) is a narrow favourite from The Run To The Rose winner Hallowed Crown ($4.60) and Peter Moody-trained Better Land ($8).

Team Hawkes will be having their first runner in the Golden Rose since Chastelain finished ninth behind Duporth in the 2008 edition of the race, while Mentality finished third for the stable behind Court Command in 2006.

The 2014 Golden Rose Stakes field will be released at 9am tomorrow and the barrier draw for the $1 million event will be conducted at 10.15am.

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Thomas Hackett

Thomas is a passionate and opinionated racing journalist and punter who has been obsessed with horse racing since he backed Saintly to win the 1996 Melbourne Cup. An international racing enthusiast, he has his finger on the pulse of racing news not just from Australia but all around the world.