Shayne O’Cass previews racing at Rosehill on Saturday

The Daily Telegraph’s Shayne O’Cass casts his eye over the big 10 race card at Rosehill on Saturday.

Shohisha is a very promising filly and can land another win at Rosehill. Picture: Bradley Photos

Form expert Shayne O’Cass analyses the ten-race card for Royal Randwick on Saturday, providing his race-by-race tips and analysis.

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FIELDS AND FORM ROSEHILL SATURDAY

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RACE 1

Miss Fleetwood is, for want of no better word, racy and so she should be too given she is a daughter of Extreme Choice and the fifth foal of former NZ crack 2YO Ruud Awakening, aka the mother of Pago Pago winner, Rise Of The Masses. Comes down to how she handles the Heavy. The boom on Wodeton is huge and rightly so. He’s a $1.6 million yearling by Wootton Bassett from the family of Silent Witness and has trialled like a bomb. Sanctified is a nice horse and is going to be an even nicer horse later.

Bet: Miss Fleetwood to win

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RACE 2

Scopics has plenty of Highway experience; who knows how many races he could have with a little bit of luck etc. That’s him though, slow early/fast late. That said, he is up to 1400m this time and has barrier one so maybe he can be a wee-bit closer. Not much chance of that when it comes to Zippo Boy given his wide draw. If they can swoop on the day, he can get into the medals at decent odds. On pacers? Fiorsum Fred the best of them perhaps.

Bet: Scopics to win, Zippo Idea to place

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RACE 3

Polyglot is a gelding but a well-bred at that being a Lonhro son of a half-sister to Golden Slipper winner, Forensics. This Godolphin three-year-old has a tidy resume of four starts for a win, a second, a third and a fifth in the Listed VRC Poseidon Stakes behind Growing Empire no less. One other thing; Polyglot’s win was on a Heavy 8. Iron Hawk has some very deep form. He beat Silmarillion and Qatars Choice on debut then was third and fourth on his next two behind Autumn Glow.

Bet: Polyglot to win, exacta 5 to beat 2

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Shohisha bobs the head at the right time to beat the favourite and win Race 1 for @DPayneRacing at Warwick Farm! 💰 pic.twitter.com/KK0j4pQUiE

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) August 21, 2024

RACE 4

Shohisha is the horse in this weekend’s Midway that is most likely to end up in stakes-races and maybe even winning a few of them. She’s had a little taste of the big time already having contested a Furious Stakes (second career run, spelled straight after) and then the Gosford Guineas on December 31 which she probably wins if was in a bigger track. Herb has placed at three of his five first-up runs (tick) but better yet is that he won twice and placed four times on his nine Heavy tracks runs. Peak is peaking.

Bet: Shohisha to win, box First 4: Nos. 6, 10, 13, 14, 16 (boxed)

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RACE 5

Gilded Water, the King’s horse, is unbeaten in his two Australian starts for Ciaron Maher; that last one was over 2400m where he absolutely thrashed them, including Be Real, who was off the map winning herself two weeks later. It comes down to this, can Gilded Water carry 61.5 kg on a Heavy 10 for 2400m and win? Claim The Crown looks a danger on form but is there something to worry about on wet ground? Maybe. That goes for a few others in the race too.

Bet: Gilded Water to win

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RACE 6

Oh Diamond Lil is bred on the hugely successful So You Think/Redoute’s Choice cross; the same as Randwick Guineas winner Inference and the Rosehill Guineas winner D’Argento. As for Oh Diamond Lil, she is very fast. In fact, she is making a habit of running her rivals off their legs. Just has to do it on a testing ground and big track. Like we keep saying, if the track is playing fair and horses can finish off, look no further than these two in-form and reliable mares Emmadella and Justela.

Bet: Oh Diamond Lil each-way

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RACE 7

Caveat; I was much more confident about Akua’rius winning first-up over 2000m in the January Cup when the track was a Soft 5. There are so many reasons to waver now, not least that he was beaten 61 lengths at his only Heavy track run in Germany. Let’s see what happens; it might get back to a Soft 7? Who can say. Saltcoats is by far the safer and more sensible bet on the race given he is fit and winning and best of all, he won a Listed race in New Zealand on a Heavy 10.

Bet: Saltcoats to win, Akau’rius to place

Saltcoats bounces back for a win at Randwick with @TommyBerry21 in the saddle for @cwallerracing!@aus_turf_clubpic.twitter.com/sqA1naL5ld

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) December 14, 2024

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RACE 8

Wymark is another one that was so much more appealing until those storms arrived. This could be a really big year for Wymark, he is a Savabeel (replica) that is almost guaranteed to keep on improving. Disneck bagged his Randwick 1200m hat-trick last start. Kudos all around. The circumstances are very different now; Rosehill, 1300m and he swaps those Good 4’s for a who knows what. At the end of the day, I could see both of them coming out and Cigar Flick being the muddie that we all latch onto.

Bet: Wymark to win or if scratched Cigar Flick to win

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RACE 9

Kapakiri resumes over 1500m on a potential bog track with only one trial under his belt but he should have so much residual fitness on his side given his last four runs of his last campaign were all over 2400m. Kermadec has shown himself to be a very, very good ‘wet track sire’ and this horse has placed three of five on the slop. Nothing beats race fitness on bottomless tracks and Bunker Hut is battle ready for this, albeit he seems to lose more battles that he wins.

Bet: Kapakiri to win

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RACE 10

We will surely know by now whether or not horses can get back and get home first now that there are nine races down. If yes, all roads lead to Spring Lee, if not. maybe Salisano has gone forward and got any on-pace favours that may eventuate on the day. Without knowing how the track has played, I feel sure of one thing and that is that Spring Lee is the ‘best horse’ in the field.

Bet: Spring Lee to win, quinella 4, 5

Originally published as Shayne O’Cass previews racing at Rosehill on Saturday