Brilliant filly Omei Sword has joined equal favourite Astern at the top of the market order for the Group 1 $1m De Bortoli Wines Golden Rose (1400m) at Rosehill on Saturday after being declared a definite starter by trainer Chris Waller.
Omei Sword, above, will take her place in the Golden Rose at Rosehill. Photo by Steve Hart.
Waller had been toying with the idea of keeping Omei Sword against the fillies in the Group 2 $175,000 Tea Rose Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on Saturday week but the premiership winning trainer confirmed she would take her place in the Golden Rose via a statement released on twitter today.
The leading trainer also said that Nikitas would be lining up in the first Group 1 of the Sydney Spring Racing Carnival.
“Our stable intends to have two runners in the De Bortoli Wines Golden Rose, the first being Omei Sword who has done well since her first up run and whilst taking on the boys, I feel that she is strong enough and has the ability to be competitive in this race. Nikitas will be our other runner, this colt has taken good benefit from his unlucky first up run,” Waller tweeted.
Omei Sword now shares favouritism for the Golden Rose with the John O’Shea trained Astern at $3.50 at Ladbrokes.com.au just ahead of Team Hawkes’ Divine Prophet at $4.60.
The High Chaparral filly looked very good in scoring a 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 with Brenton Avdulla in the saddle.
Nikitas is rated as one of the outsiders in the early Golden Rose market order at $51 on the back of a first up sixth to Astern in the Group 2 $175,000 MTA Run To The Rose (1200m) at Rosehill on August 27 with Tye Angland aboard.
Early Golden Rose market order at Ladbrokes.com.au: $3.50 Omei Sword, Astern, $4.60 Divine Prophet, $11 Yankee Rose, Impending, Derryn, $15 El Divino, $19 Mediterranean, $26 Thronum, $31 Good Standing, $51 Nikitas.
