Premier Sydney trainer Chris Waller warns punters that three year old Zoustar is not fully wound up for his return to the racetrack in the Group 3 $125,000 MTA NSW Run To The Rose (1200m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
Zoustar is not fully wound up for the Run To The Rose at Rosehill. Photo by Daniel Costello.
Zoustar will be having his first run back after running second to Romantic Touch in the Group 1 $500,000 Patinack Farm J.J. Atkins (1600m) at Eagle Farm during the Brisbane Winter Carnival.
Waller is aiming to peak the Northern Meteor colt for the first Group1 of the Sydney Spring Carnival, the $1m Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill in two weeks.
“Obviously he’s there to run well but he will take a lot of benefit out of the race,” Waller told AAP.
“I guess the Golden Rose is a bit more important and that’s when he will be closer to his peak.”
Zoustar won his first two race starts at Canterbury and Hawkesbury before Waller shipped him north where he continued the winning trend with a victory over his stablemate Vilanova in the Group 2 $250,000 Al Basti Equiworld BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1350) at Doomben on May 25.
Waller then stepped him up to Group 1 company but he failed to run down the Gai Waterhouse trained Romantic Touch at Eagle Farm.
The 1400m of the Golden Rose looks ideal for Zoustar at his second run back then Waller will have to decide if he stays in Sydney for the Group 1 $400,000 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on October 12 or go to Melbourne for the Group 1 $1m BECK Caulfield Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield on the same day.
Zoustar is currently the an easing $5.25 second favourite for the Run To The Rose with the Peter Snowden trained Sidestep maintaining the top spot at $4.60.
The Bart and James Cummings trained Eurozone continues to firm in the betting and after touching $7 during the day is now a $5.50 chance.
Snowden has elected to put the blinkers back on Sidestep after an unlucky first up fourth to Va Pensiero in the Group 3 $125,000 Smithfield RSL Club San Domenico Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill on August 17.
Tommy Berry took over the reins from Kerrin McEvoy in the San Domenico and had trouble finding clear running in the straight at his first run after finishing second to Overreach in the Group 1 $3.5m Tooheys New Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill on April 6.
McEvoy is back on Sidestep tomorrow and is hoping for better luck than the Exceed And Excel colt got last start.
