‘Magnificent Seven’, including Via Sistina and Fangirl, to gallop between races at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday
Fangirl and Via Sistina headline a star-studded line-up of Group 1 winners that will gallop between races at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.
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Fangirl and Via Sistina are among a “magnificent seven” of Group 1 winners due to have exhibition gallops between races at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.
Trainer Chris Waller is sending six of his leading spring carnival contenders to the races for a workout with Fangirl (James McDonald), Via Sistina (Kerrin McEvoy) and Riff Rocket (Nash Rawiller) galloping separately over 1000m after race two.
Then Waller has Joliestar (McDonald), Zougotcha (Tommy Berry) and Atishu (Tyler Schiller) doing similar work following the third race.
Godolphin trainer James Cummings has Zardozi (Zac Lloyd) working over 1000m after the opening race on the program.
Waller and Cummings are using the Rosehill course proper gallops to prepare their elite horses for their expected returns to racing at Royal Randwick on August 24 with most likely to line-up in the Group 1 $1 million Winx Stakes (1400m).
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Rain pushes back key Kensington trials
Due to continuing wet weather and with further rain forecast the Kensington Track & Randwick Steeple Grass are unsuitable for trialling. Consequently, the trials scheduled for Randwick on Friday will be moved to MONDAY (19th Aug). Final fields and starting times remain unchanged
— Racing NSW (@racing_nsw) August 15, 2024
The crucial Kensington barrier trials scheduled for Friday have been postponed until Monday due to persistent rain that has fallen at Randwick this week.
Boom three-year-old colt Storm Boy is contesting an 850m heat in which his rivals include promising sprinter Caballus, Cups hopeful Fawkner Park and talented American mare Bubble Rock, who ran so well at her second Australian start when third to Bella Nipotina and Semana in the Group 1 Tatt’s Tiara.
Giga Kick, the 2022 The Everest winner, hasn’t raced for nearly 12 months and his Sydney return in another 850m trial against the likes of Celestial Legend, Lady Laguna and Lady Of Camelot, will be closely scrutinised.
McDonald will ride Giga Kick in Monday’s heat with the chestnut due to have another barrier trial later this month before his comeback to racing in the Concorde Stakes at Royal Randwick on September 7.
Racenet's @bendorries76 can reveal that James McDonald will get first dibs on returning star Giga Kick, with confirmation Australia's best jockey will ride the sprinting freak in a Sydney trial on Friday. ðhttps://t.co/Gp98QVKm2kpic.twitter.com/2cjar768PH
— Racenet (@RacenetTweets) August 12, 2024
Interestingly, I Wish I Win is also set to resume the same day in the Moir Stakes at Moonee Valley.
I Wish I Win is the early favourite at $4.50 for The Everest with Giga Kick on the second line at $9 and McDonald is a frontrunner for the ride on both sprinters this spring which adds even more weight to Giga Kick’s trial effort on Monday.
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Frankel notches another milestone
English superhorse Frankel is a record-breaker on and off the racetrack.
Frankel was unbeaten in 14 starts, winning 10 at Group 1 level, including his spectacular 11-lengths romp in the 2012 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot which earned him a Timeform rating of 147, the highest of all-time.
Since being retired to stud, Frankel has had a remarkable career and has sired 100 individual Group winners in world record time of 3144 days, beating the achievements of champion stallions like his sire Galileo, grandsire Sadler’s Wells, Dubawi, Deep Impact and Danehill.
Frankel achieved the milestone when the Aidan O’Brien-trained Lake Victoria won the Group 3 Sweet Solera Stakes at Newmarket last Saturday.
The mighty Frankel is the sire of two runners at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday – Cups hopeful Francesco Guardi (Precise Air Handicap) and Dreamflight (Rosehill Bowling Club Handicap).
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Condolences to Farr family
Bronwyn Farr, a trail blazer for female racing journalists, sadly passed away last weekend.
She was a very skilled and respected journalist who worked for Australian Associated Press through the 1990s covering Sydney racing before her career took her in a different direction.
On behalf of Bronwyn’s many friends in the racing industry, Racing Confidential would like to extend our condolences to her daughter, Victoria, and extended family.
Originally published as ‘Magnificent Seven’, including Via Sistina and Fangirl, to gallop between races at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday