Trainer Gai Waterhouse is still deciding if her glamour colt Vancouver will have another run before contesting the Group 1 $1m De Bortoli Wines Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill on September 12.
Vancouver remains the favourite for the Golden Rose Stakes at Rosehill. Photo by Steve Hart.
Vancouver suffered a shock first up defeat in the Group 3 $125,000 Smithfield RSL Club San Domenico Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill on August 15 and Waterhouse will give plenty of thought into where he will have his next run.
The Medaglia D’Oro colt was sent out as the short priced $2.40 favourite in the San Domenico Stakes at his first start scoring a sensational win in the Group 1 $3.5m Tooheys New Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill on March 21.
But the previous undefeated colt found the in-form Chris Waller trained Japonisme too slick over the 1100m and could only manage fourth place, two and a quarter lengths behind the winner.
Vancouver still remains at the top of the market order for the Golden Rose Stakes at $3 with Ladbrokes.com.au and Waterhouse has reported that he has come through the run okay.
“None of us saw him getting beaten,” Waterhouse told Racing and Sports.
“It’s a specialist race that 1100m. The winter form, the horse that was very fit had it over the others.”
“He only really got going the last 100m of the race. He was a little bit unbalanced in part of it and I think that saw his undoing. But I wouldn’t lose any faith in him.”
Waterhouse said that she would talk to connections in the near future to discuss if Vancouver will run in the Group 2 $175,000 The Run To The Rose (1200m) at Rosehill on August 29 or go straight into the Golden Rose Stakes without another run.
“I haven’t quite decided where I will go next,” Waterhouse said.
“I will just talk to the group that own him now and I will see exactly how he goes in the next few days.”
“I don’t want to put him under too much pressure too early because he has a very big campaign ahead of him. But he is a very exciting colt.”
“I haven’t decided if I’m going to go to the Run To The Rose yet.”
Vancouver is also at the top of the market order at $3.80 for the Group 1 $1m BECK Caulfield Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield on October 10 and is also listed as a $21 chance for the Group 1 $3m Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 24.
