The performance by Shooting To Win in the Group 2 $200,000 Stan Fox Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill on Saturday will determine the rest for the Spring program for the three year old.
Scissor Kick, yellow and black diamonds, will be the main rival for Shooting To Win in the Stan Fox Stakes. Photo by Steve Hart.
Shooting To Win is lining up for his fourth run this campaign and if he reproduces his eye catching third in the Group 1 $1m De Bortoli Wines Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill two weeks ago, will be right in the finish again.
“I expect him to run very well tomorrow – it’s the right sort of race for him,” co-trainer Peter Snowden told Racing Network.
“The options are he’d either go to Melbourne for the Caulfield Guineas or go for a break, and we’ll make that call after he runs tomorrow.”
“He has always shown us well above average ability and now he’s starting to put it together.”
Snowden, who trains in partnership with his son Paul, will then have to decide if Shooting To Win has done enough and head to the spelling paddock or push onto the Group 1 $1m BECK Caulfield Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield on October 11.
The Northern Meteor colt got well out of his ground in the Golden Rose Stakes after being slowly away from an outside barrier and Tim Clark was forced to position him back near last before finishing strongly down the centre of the track to finish third behind Hallowed Crown and Scissor Kick.
At his previous start Shooting To Win raced more handily when second to Panzer Division in the Group 3 $125,000 Ming Dynasty Quality Handicap (1400m) at Randwick on September 6.
Shooting To Win will be up against Scissor Kick again who is certain to get a better trail this week for Tye Angland following a torrid run in the Golden Rose Stakes when the pair were stuck out four wide without cover after jumping from gate twelve in the fifteen horse field.
The Paul Messara trained Scissor Kick has been installed the $1.90 for the Stan Fox Stakes with Ladbrokes.com.au while Shooting To Win is the second pick in the market order at $3.10.
Valentia from the Gai Waterhouse stable is next in the betting at $4.40 with the rest of eight horse field the over the $20 mark.
Waterhouse has a big opinion of Valentia and has nominated the Fastnet Rock for the Group 1 $3m Sportingbet Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 25.
Valentia ran a first up third to Scissor Kick in the Group 3 $125,000 Synergy FX Up and Coming Stakes (1300m) at Randwick on August 23 when he got caught up in the interference caused by his wayward stablemate Liberation and then ran fifth to Panzer Division in the Ming Dynasty Quality Handicap.
