Sunshine Coast trainer David Vandyke has elected to remove the blinkers from Yankee Rose to give her a chance to settle with cover in the Group 1 $500,000 Sydney Airport Flight Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on Saturday.
Yankee Rose, above, will race without the blinkers in the Flight Stakes at Randwick. Photo by Steve Hart.
Yankee Rose, who usually settles in the midfield in her races, found herself in front after being one of the first out of the barriers and with the blinkers on jockey Zac Purton was left to set the pace in the Group 1 $1m De Bortoli Wines Golden Rose (1400m) at Rosehill on September 10.
The All American filly was collared at the 300m mark and did well to fight on to finish sixth, three and a half lengths behind the winner Astern.
Vandyke doesn’t want that to happen again and has taken the blinkers off Yankee Rose and informed the Racing New South Wales stewards that the filly will be ridden with cover in the Flight Stakes.
Racing NSW Stewards released the following statement on their website:
“Please note trainer David Vandyke has advised Racing NSW Stewards that it is the intention to ride YANKEE ROSE with cover in Saturday’s Sydney Airport Flight Stakes (1600m) at Royal Randwick (1st October).”
Purton said after the Golden Rose that Yankee Rose didn’t feel comfortable in front and therefore failed to finished off the race like she did when she came from midfield to win the Group 1 $1m Inglis Sires’ (1400m) at Randwick on April 2, day one of ‘The Championships’.
“It was a little bit different from her. She was rolling around a lot through the race, changing strides a couple of times in her action. She didn’t quite hit the line like she has been,” Purton said.
Yankee Rose is on the second line of betting at $3.60 with Ladbrokes.com.au and has been prepared to take on the $1.65 favourite Omei Sword in the Flight Stakes with a Warwick Farm 1200m barrier trial win on September 23.
The Chris Waller trained Omei Sword scored a stunning first up win in the Group 2 $175,000 Alpha Flight Services Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on August 20 and then ran another mighty race when second to Astern in the Golden Rose.
The field for the Flight Stakes has been reduced to seven fillies following the scratching of the Peter and Paul Snowden trained Quick Feet and Yankee Rose will jump from barrier five with Blake Shinn taking over from Purton.
Omei Sword has drawn barrier seven with Hugh Bowman in the saddle.
Market order for the Flight Stakes at Ladbrokes.com.au: $1.65 Omei Sword, $3.60 Yankee Rose, $9.50 Global Glamour, $14 Skylight Glow, $15 Awoke, $20 Sezanne, $81 Bridle Lane.
