Stable watch: Ray Thomas gets all the inside mail for Rosehill on Saturday
TAB BIG BETS: TRAINER Anthony Cummings is testing the ATC Australian Derby potential Hierarchal and chasing Group 1 glory with Vergara at Rosehill on Saturday.
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TRAINER Anthony Cummings is testing the ATC Australian Derby potential Hierarchal, putting Believe’s unbeaten record on the line, and chasing Group 1 glory with Vergara at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.
Hierarchal takes on older horses in the APN Outdoor Handicap (1900m), Believe is likely to miss Kembla Grange on Friday to run in the Group 2 Phar Lap Stakes (1500m) and Vergara lines up in the Group 1 Coolmore Classic (1500m).
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“I scratched Hierarchal from Warwick Farm midweek to run at Rosehill,’’ Cummings said. “He’s still on the Derby trail but I’m scratching my head a bit after his last-start failure.
“I’m thinking right now the best thing is to get him up to 1900m at a weight scale and track that suits him better. On face value, the horse is going really well and his work has been very good.
“Believe is a very promising filly and I feel the Phar Lap Stakes is the better option for her than the Kembla race.’’
Cummings is confident Vergara will be competitive on her favourite track while he warned punters to expect an improved showing from Alpha Beat in the Group 2 $150,000 Ajax Stakes (1500m).
R1: SKY HIGH STAKES (2000m)
GODOLPHIN’S two Group 1-winning imports Hartnell and Magic Hurricane could provide a stable quinella in the Golden Slipper Festival opener.
Hartnell won the Sky High Stakes-The BMW double last year and is on track to repeat that feat after a solid first-up fifth to Winx in the Chipping Norton Stakes.
“He jumped too well and was a bit fresh last start, but the run has improved him and we’ll be looking for a good result from him,’’ trainer John O’Shea said.
Magic Hurricane, winner of The Metropolitan last spring, has been improved by two runs back from a spell including his ninth in the Chipping Norton last start.
“The run the other day behind Winx has woken him up a bit,’’ O’Shea said of Magic Hurricane. “He’s trimmed up nicely and has worked a lot better this week.”
TAB market movers: Pemberley $4.60-$4.40 ($1,200 @ $4.60)
R2: PAGO PAGO STAKES (1200m)
LIONHEARTED, a close relation to the incomparable Black Caviar, indicated he has inherited his share of ability when a very good second behind Good Standing in the Skyline Stakes at Randwick two weeks ago.
After leading into the straight Lionhearted fought back gamely when Good Standing made his winning run while the pair forged clear of Souchez.
“I wasn’t surprised Lionhearted ran so well because he is a colt we have a very good opinion of,’’ trainer David Hayes said. “He has done everything right since but he has to overcome a bad barrier again. But if he won and was impressive, then pulled up well we will accept for the Golden Slipper for sure.’’
TAB market movers: Souchez $4.60-$4.20 ($1,000 @ $4.40), Mount Panorama $4.40-$4-$4.20-$4 ($400 @ $4.40, $400 @ $4, $1,000 @ $4.20)
R3: MAGIC NIGHT STAKES (1200m)
TRAINER Kris Lees also won’t rule out a Golden Slipper start next week if Twist Tops was to race away with the fillies division.
Twist Tops has already banked over $186,000 prizemoney but most of that was earned from her Inglis Classic win and does not count towards Slipper qualification, so she simply must win this race.
“We are not closing the door on a Slipper start but obviously she needs to win this race convincingly to back up,’’ Lees said. “She is a nice filly, racing well. She is tough and I think she will run a good race.
“If she wins and the owners want to run next week then we will go there.’’
R4: APN OUTDOOR HCP (1900m)
AFTER four costly defeats as favourite in as many starts this preparation, Fira faces an even tougher task going up in grade on Saturday.
But trainer Peter Snowden is banking on the increase in distance being the catalyst for an improved showing from Fira who has managed just one minor placing this campaign.
“Fira has been frustrating and disappointing,’’ said Snowden of the galloper bookies are betting $8 in early markets. “But we took heed of what James McDonald said after his last start (sixth behind Makeadane over 1600m) that we should get him up over ground and put him forward in his races.’’
If Fira again fails to deliver on his potential, the Snowden stable can still rely on the promising filly Self Esteem ($7), a good last-start winner over Daisy’s Joy at Rosehill.
“Self Esteem is going great,’’ Snowden said. “She will be handy again and she should go well with her (light) weight.’’
TAB market movers: Slow Pace $8.50-$7 ($1,000 @ $8, $1,000 @ $7)
R5: MAURICE MCCARTEN STAKES (1100m)
TRAINER Joe Pride is confident he has made the right call adding blinkers and tongue-tie to talented sprinter Craftiness. “He trialled well with the new gear at Randwick last week and I’m happy with the horse,’’ Pride said.
Craftiness won six of his first seven starts but he has been winless for nearly 12 months. However, Pride felt there were encouraging signs with the gelding’s comeback effort four weeks ago when second to Felines over 1000m at Randwick.
“This is not overly strong for a Group race and he gets his chance (Saturday),’’ the trainer said.
TAB market movers: Alberto Magic $4.20-$3.80 ($400 @ $4.20, 500 @ $4, $400 @ $3.60, $1,200 @ $3.20, $2,000 @ $3)
R6: PHAR LAP STAKES (1500m)
TATOOSH, runner-up in the Ming Dynasty Quality, Spring Stakes and Gloaming Stakes all at Group 3 level last spring, looks over the odds at $26 in early TAB Fixed Odds betting.
Trainer Paul Perry is expecting a vastly improved run from the three-year-old after his comeback ninth to Supreme Effort in a Provincial Championships Qualifier at Wyong last week.
“The Wyong track was never going to suit him but we had to run him, had to get him started,’’ Perry said. “I wanted to run him the week before but he was balloted out so we didn’t have much option.
“I’m really happy with how he is coming up but whether he wants another run, I’m not sure. He will run a nice enough race, he’s a quality three-year-old.’’
Perry also predicted a more competitive run from Ghost Protocol in the APN Outdoor Handicap (1900m). “He has wanted those two runs and is starting to work a lot better. He should run well,’’ Perry said.
TAB market movers: Old North $3.20-$2.80 ($455 @ $3.20, $1,500 @ $3)
R7: COOLMORE CLASSIC (1500m)
VERGARA’S competitive efforts in the Triscay Stakes and Guy Walter Stakes has trainer Anthony Cummings confident she is peaking for the Coolmore Classic.
Cummings has been more than satisfied with Vergara’s fourth to Sultry Feeling first-up then a similar placing behind Solicit last start.
“Her two runs back have been excellent,’’ Cummings said. “But this time they are playing in her ‘backyard’ — she does love Rosehill and this trip. She is so well weighted and has drawn the soft barrier which all works in her favour.’’
Cummings, chasing his first Coolmore Classic after going close with Doubting who ran second to Tuesday Joy in 2007, has booked Melbourne jockey Daniel Moor to ride Vergara at 51kg.
TAB market movers: Lucia Valentina $21-$15 ($250 e/w @ $21/$5.84, $500 e/w @ $17/$4.87, $500 e/w @ $15/$4.39), Politeness $11 unchanged ($300 @ $11), Azkadellia $6 unchanged ($300 @ $6 MULTIPLE TIMES, $200 @ $6 MULTIPLE TIMES)
R8: AJAX STAKES (1500m)
TRAINER Helen Page concedes Rudy will struggle to secure a start in the Doncaster Mile again during The Championships next month.
Rudy, a slashing fourth behind Kermadec in the Doncaster last year, has only 50kg for the $3 million race on April 2 but is way down the order of entry.
“We got in automatically last year because he won the Villiers Stakes,’’ Page said. “But this year we are right on the edge of getting a start.’’
Rudy can secure a Doncaster start by winning the Ajax Stakes.
But Page has an alternative plan to aim Rudy at the Group 3 JRA Plate (2000m) at Randwick on April 16 if her gelding misses out on the Doncaster.
“It’s why we have started him off at 1500m rather than 1200m or 1350m,’’ Page said.
TAB market movers: Generalife $4.60 unchanged ($500 @ $4.60, $400 e/w @ $4.60/$1.90), Kool Kompany $13-$12 ($2,000 e/w @ $13/$4)
R9: TAB MORE THAN JUST WINNING HCP (1350m)
HARRY Hotspur, improved by his comeback win under 61kg at Muswellbrook, can overcome an awkward barrier and prove hard to beat again, according to trainer Kim Waugh.
“He is a really tough horse and it was typical of him first-up as he was giving his rivals up to 6kg,’’ Waugh said. “He has taken good improvement out of that run and Brenton Avdulla will suit him. Every preparation ‘Harry’ comes up and races well — he is a lovely horse.’’
TAB MARKET MOVERS
FLEMINGTON
Race 2: Revolving Door $3.80-$3.70 ($2,000 @ $3.70)
Race 3: Super Cash $7-$5 ($600 @ $7, $400 @ $6.50, $1,000 @ $6)
Race 5: Don’t Doubt Mamma $6-$4.60 ($1,500 x $1,000 @ $4.80/$1.95)
Race 6: Chautauqua $2.40 unchanged ($1,000 @ $2.40 TWICE)
Race 7: Bow Creek $3.20 unchanged ($1,000 @ $3.20), Our Ivanhowe $5 unchanged ($400 @ $5), Suavito $9-$9.50
Race 8: Miss Rose De Lago $5.50-$3.70 ($2,000 x $4,000 @ $5.50/$2.05, $600 @ $4.20,
$375 @ $4)
Originally published as Stable watch: Ray Thomas gets all the inside mail for Rosehill on Saturday
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