Press Report To Take Up Forward Position In Golden Rose Field

Trainer Lee Curtis has revealed that he expects Press Report to take up a forward position in the 2014 Golden Rose field at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.

Press Report was awarded her maiden race win on protest at Rosehill Gardens on August 2.

Press Report was awarded her maiden race win on protest at Rosehill Gardens on August 2. Photo by: Steve Hart

Jockey Winona Costin will be making her debut at Group 1 level when she partners Press Report in the Golden Rose, but Curtis told Sky Racing HQ that he won’t be giving the inexperienced jockey any strict instructions before she heads out for the $1 million event this weekend.

Press Report led from the front in the Group 2 Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on August 23, but Curtis said that he would prefer to see the Written Tycoon filly take a sit behind the leaders in the early stages of the Group 1 Golden Rose Stakes (1400m).

“It will be pretty similar to how she rode her when she won on her,” Curtis said.

“Just be on the pace there, I’m not going to say things like you are going to be here and he is going to be there because what happens once they jump who knows.

“Ideally I am sure that Winona would want to be sitting fifth or sixth there somewhere and just having a bit of a rest for a while.”

Press Report started her 2014 Spring Racing Carnival campaign with an unlucky fourth place finish in the Inglis $5 Million Race Series Handicap (1200m) at Rosehill Gardens on July 19 before she scored her maiden race win when she was awarded the Early Quaddie Plate (1300m) on protest after she was severely hampered by Liberation in the final stages of the race.

The three-year-old returned to Group level for the Silver Shadow Stakes and she finished at the tail of the field, but Curtis is hoping that the promising filly can bounce back when she returns to Rosehill Gardens and hopefully a drier track this weekend.

“I think a Rosehill seven may be a hell of a lot different to a Randwick nine and with the rain it has probably done track a favour,” Curtis said.

“We had a bit of rain yesterday morning, but it was a beautiful day and there is a breeze and it is sunny today.

“If we didn’t get any more rain we could get into the six range.

“She was sweating up a little bit before the race and she may have been a bit stirry.

“I was sort of hoping that we might have ridden her a bit close and she might have been a bit stirry going over to Randwick; she has only been over there twice and she put in two ordinary runs.

“At home she is off her head and she is feeling pretty good.”

Press Report is currently available at Golden Rose odds of $81 and is the outside of the field in the betting market with Ladbrokes Australia.

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.