The Chris Waller stable is going into Saturday’s Group 1 $1m De Bortoli Wines Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill with little confidence after Zoustar drew the extreme outside barrier of the seventeen horse field.
Zoustar and Jim Cassidy winning the BRC Sires Produce at Doomben. Photo by Daniel Costello.
Zoustar has eased in Golden Rose betting and is now a $10 chance, but Waller thinks he has no chance from the wide gate and texted ‘No’ back to owner Sheriff Iskander when he asked if he had any hope.
“I text Chris Waller after the draw and asked whether we still have a chance, he sent back a text and all it said was ‘no’,” Iskander told Racing Network.
“It is very disappointing because the whole preparation has been geared towards this race but now we are just going to have to cross the fingers and hope.
“If anything the pressure is now off us, we can just go to the races on Saturday without much expectation and just wait and see what happens.”
Melbourne colts Prince Harada and Fast ‘N’ Rocking head the market order at $4 and $5 respectively after coming up with favourably drews.
Last start McNeil Stakes winner Fast ‘N’ Rocking drew barrier five while trainer Tony Vasil is hoping for better luck for Prince Harada who will jump from the inside gate.
Veteran jockey Jim Cassidy will have to be at his very best on Zoustar if he is going to make it Group 1 win number ninety-nine and edge closer to the magical one hundred Group 1 victories.
At his first run back from a short break Zoustar with Cassidy aboard ran a tidy fourth to Va Pensiero in the Group 3 $125,000 MTA NSW Run To The Rose (1200m) at Rosehill on August 31 and the Waller camp thought that would top him off nicely for this weekend’s major assignment.
Cassidy also partnered Zoustar during his Brisbane Winter Carnival campaign where won the Group 2 $250,000 Al Basti Equiworld BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1350) at Doomben on May 25 before running second to the Gai Waterhouse trained Romantic Touch in the Group 1 $500,000 Patinack Farm J.J. Atkins (1600m) at Eagle Farm on June 8.
Zoustar is also nominated for the Group 1 $1m BECK Caulfield Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield on October 12 and is currently a $14 chance.
Prince Harada heads the Caulfield Guineas market order at $4.50 ahead of last Saturday’s Flemington winner Long John at $5 and the David Hayes trained Fast ‘N’ Rocking at $6.
