Mr Optimistic On Trial In The Run To The Rose

Mr Optimistic is set to contest the 2015 The Run To The Rose at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday and he will be on trial for the Group 1 Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) that will be held at the same venue in a fortnight.

Josh Parr has been booked to ride Mr Optimistic in the 2015 The Run To The Rose at Rosehill Gardens this weekend. Photo by: Daniel Costello

Josh Parr has been booked to ride Mr Optimistic in the 2015 The Run To The Rose at Rosehill Gardens this weekend. Photo by: Daniel Costello

Mr Optimistic contested the Group 2 VRC Sires Produce Stakes (1400m) at Flemington on March 14 at just his second race start and he scored a maiden win at Gold Coast on April 29 before he finished an unlucky third in the Listed Bruce McLachlan Memorial Classic (1200m) at the Sunshine Coast on May 16.

Noonan has always been confident that Mr Optimistic would be competitive at Group level during his racing career, but he is unsure whether the Domesday colt is forward enough to beat the likes of Press Statement and Japonisme in the Group 2 The Run To The Rose (1400m) at Rosehill Gardens this week.

“The horse is a backward sort of three-year-old and the winter up there definitely did him the world of good,” Noonan told Sky Racing HQ.

“He is still learning his craft to a degree, but he has pleased us.

“You wouldn’t be predicting that he will beat those horses that are up and running, but I am sure that he will run well.

“It is a bit of a look and see.

“Obviously those horses that are up and going have probably got it on him a little bit, but he is a nice horse and he is lightly-raced.

“His last run in a stakes race up there at Caloundra was very good and he was terribly unlucky not to win that.

“He is a progressive sort of horse, but whether he is right up to this company at this point of time, time will tell.

“It is a nice race for him to kick-off in and if he happened to perform well there is a nice option in a fortnight’s time.”

Mr Optimistic has been included in the nominations for the Group 1 Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill Gardens on September 12 and he will press on to the $1 million event if he performs well in The Run To The Rose, while he was also included in the nominations for the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) and the Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m).

Mr Optimistic is currently available at 2015 Golden Rose Stakes odds of $101 with Ladbrokes, while Vancouver ($3) is a dominant favourite from Japonisme ($6), Press Statement ($9) and Exosphere ($11).

About The Author

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.