Rising Romance has been included in the 2015 Chairman’s Handicap field that was released this morning and is set to contest the Group 2 event that will be held at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
Rising Romance will contest both the Chairman’s Handicap and the Sydney Cup during The Championships. Photo by: Steve Hart
Rising Romance returned to Australian racing when she finished second in the Group 3 Epona Stakes (1900m) at Rosehill Gardens on March 21 and she was found to have suffered a bruised near fore heel at the conclusion of the event.
The Ekraar mare appeared to recover from the minor issue quickly, but last Thursday she was found to be lame in off-fore leg and she was scratched from the Group 1 The BMW (2400m) at Rosehill Gardens last Saturday.
Rising Romance proved her fitness when she worked strongly alongside Volkstok’N’Barrell at Rosehill Gardens yesterday morning and Logan told Racing Ahead that the four-year-old would contest the Chairman’s Handicap this weekend before she steps-up to 3200 metres for the first time in her racing career in the Group 1 Sydney Cup (3200m) at Royal Randwick next Saturday.
“Her heartrate was very low after her work and I think that she is forward enough going to The Chairman’s,” Logan said.
“We will be looking at the Sydney Cup and there is only one way to find out (if she can run out a strong 3200 metres).
“If we are ever going to contemplate going to a Melbourne Cup then you might as well have a look at a Sydney Cup with 52.
“I think that she gets 53.5 on her back, so she won’t have another run in a cup race with that sort of weight in a hurry.”
Rising Romance will face 10 rivals in the Chairman’s Handicap and she will have the opportunity to turn-the-tables on Michael Kent-trained Scratchy Bottom, who upset her in the Epona Stakes.
Scratchy Bottom started her autumn campaign with a very flat performance in the Group 3 Frances Tressady Stakes (1400m) at Flemington on March 7, but she produce a much improved performance to storm home late and win the Epona Stakes.
The Group 3 Manion Cup (2400m) is the traditional lead-up to the Chairman’s Handicap and the likes of Permit, Phrases, Honorius and Tremec have come out of that race, while Disclaimer will make the step-up to 2600 metres after he finished a credible fifth behind Pornichet in the Group 3 Neville Sellwood Stakes (2000m) last weekend.
The 2015 Chairman’s Handicap field is rounded out by Gai Waterhouse-trained Queenstown (barrier eight), imported galloper Sir John Hawkwood (barrier nine), Chris Waller-trained Grand Marshal (barrier three) and Irish import Martinvast (barrier six).
