Chris Waller puts faith in smart colt Emirate for Group 1 Golden Rose

The final field for the Golden Rose will be revealed on Tuesday morning with leading trainer Chris Waller likely to have one runner in his Group 1 defence.

Emirate will be Chris Waller’s only Golden Rose runner. Picture: Jeremy Ng/Getty Images

Leading trainer Chris Waller will rely on smart colt Emirate to continue his flying start to the spring and defend his Group 1 $1m Golden Rose (1400m) crown at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.

Waller had three Sydney feature winners last weekend with Fangirl (7 Stakes), Autumn Glow (Tea Rose Stakes) and McHale (Bill Ritchie Handicap) while he won the Group 1 Underwood Stakes in Melbourne via Buckaroo.

The Golden Rose will command the focus this weekend with the final field for the three-year-old Group 1 set to be revealed on Tuesday morning.

Waller, who won the race last year with Militarize, is set to only have one runner in the race after Switzerland was ruled out of contention.

Emirate ($18) was slowly away in the Group 2 Run To The Rose before surging home for fifth, finishing 2½ lengths off the winner Traffic Warden.

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Traffic Warden fights down the outside to take out the Run To The Rose! 🌹@[e-mail]/0HE7rr0RuS

— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) September 14, 2024

“Emirate was fantastic in the Run To The Rose,” Waller said.

“He has to improve but we are hoping stepping up to 1400m that he can improve.

“I think it’s a pretty open race this year so it’s a good chance.”

Waller has decided against running stablemate Switzerland.

Switzerland was one of the leading contenders for the Golden Rose before his preparation started on a low note when he failed to beat a runner home in the Run To The Rose.

The Group 2 Todman Stakes winner had suffered sustained superficial abrasions to its near foreleg in the tie-up stalls and had a wound that required treatment post-race.

Switzerland needed “a couple of staples” to address the issue and will now head to the Group 2 $300,000 Roman Consul Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill Gardens on October 12.

Traffic Warden was an impressive winner of The Run To The Rose. Picture: Jeremy Ng/Getty Images

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Dual Group 1 winner Broadsiding ($3 favourite) will make his highly-anticipated return alongside brilliant Run To The Rose winning stablemate Traffic Warden ($4).

Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott will launch a three-pronged attack in the race they won three years ago with In The Congo.

Boom colt Storm Boy ($4) is joined by Anode ($15) and Mayfair ($26).

The Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained Tropicus was not nominated for the Golden Rose and will need to pay a $37,500 late entry fee.

Originally published as Chris Waller puts faith in smart colt Emirate for Group 1 Golden Rose