Rosehill races: Shayne O’Cass’ tips and extended preview

Daily Telegraph form analyst Shayne O’Cass examines every race for Rosehill Gardens on Saturday to point you in the right direction to finding a winner.

The Bopper can kick off his campaign on a winning note at Rosehill on Saturday. Picture: Grant Guy

Daily Telegraph form analyst Shayne O’Cass runs the rule over every race, including suggested bets, for the Rosehill meeting on Saturday.

The Form: Complete NSW Racing thoroughbred form, including video replays and all you need to know about every horse, jockey and trainer. Find a winner here!

ROSEHILL

Track: Soft 5. Rail: Out 7m.

RACE 1

The aptly-named Smart Little Miss is racing to a peak after consecutive thirds at the Warwick Farm midweeks, both times closing off her race from the back. Louise Day had a good ‘feel’ for the Ron Quinton-trained mare who has come up with a draw that could in fact be a winning one. Soami was finally rewarded with the win here last start. It wasn’t ability that was holding him back, it was purely a case of pattern and luck. Drawn wide but was going back anyway. Just needs a similar ride from the same jockey this weekend. Diamond Diesel’s already bright prospects soared after he drew 3.

Bet: Smart Little Miss to win

RACE 2

Inhibitions was a $380,000 Easter Yearling purchase by Godolphin. The daughter of Zoustar has raced five times for a debut win at Canterbury and three placings after that. She was tipped out after beating one home in the Fernhill and starts again on Saturday off the back of two impressive trials. Barrier 1 seals the deal. House Of Cards was outstanding on debut on the unfriendly Kensington track on July 9. He was held up for a while but really let down once he got balanced up, just as he had been doing on his trials. Nice colt. Fukabana was $1.65 on debut at Eagle Farm and won accordingly.

Bet: Inhibitions to win, quinella 1, 6

Godolphin filly Inhibitions has been impressive at the trials ahead of her race return at Rosehill on Saturday. Picture: Bradley Photos

RACE 3

It seems to be that horses take it in turns to win Highways. Unlucky one week, winner the next. Enter Burrandana, the son of Mogo Magic’s sire Duporth who was the one finishing fastest in his two Highways this time in. Just for the record, he probably should have won the SDRA Championship Heat and who knows what he would have done if he made it to the Final. Moon Reader has gone off at $151 and $91 at her last two starts, both in Benchmark 78s here and make no mistake, she has run far away better than her starting price. Chase My Crown just has to go ‘in’ given that she beat Burrandana here two weeks ago.

Bet: Burrandana to win, Moon Reader to place

RACE 4

Third times a gem. That’s the hope anyway for the Maher/Eustace-trained mare Wahine Toa who almost won first-up at Flemington despite drifting from $26 all the way out to $61. She came to Sydney for the 2800m Stayer’s Cup and beat all bar Outlandos who is quite an accomplished stayer. I am just banking on that being the slightly superior form to a few of her rivals that come through the same race as each other. Chief among them is the Proisir mare Whanga Wonder who was doing her best work when seventh, yes, but a diminishing three lengths behind Manbehindthemoney and Kirkeby.

Bet: Wahine Toa to win, Whanga Wonder to place

RACE 5

Well-bred gelding Wategos has a decent strike-rate of almost one in three. For the record, he has won four times in 13 starts and one of them was second-up as he will be on the weekend. The Bjorn Baker-trained son of Capitalist and Happy Hippy was good late in what was ostensibly an on-pace race at Randwick first-up. Richard Litt has breathed new life into the blueblood Huon who by the way is the 10th foal of his dam whose previous offspring include Earthquake, Palomares, Tremor and Pandemic. Right in this. So Good So Cool is fit and was every bit as good as Wategos in the Insurrection/Brudenell (who runs here also) race.

Bet: Wategos each-way

RACE 6

Zip On By is a Les Bridge-trained grandson of his bonny mare Miss Zoe. You just wouldn’t believe the number of good winners this family has provided Mr Bridge over decades really. Granted, this one was off her game on the Kensington track last start but she was super impressive at the provincials before that and has trialled well since the last start failure. No guesswork or forgives when it comes to Waverider Buoy who has come back in tremendous shape this campaign. Not drawn so well for this however. Lady Brook and Running Bear (great trial) are players.

Bet: Zip On By each-way

RACE 7

Navios had trailed a whole better than his $17 starting price at Hawkesbury and so it turned out to be when the Joe Pride-trained son of Astern scored a narrow but wholly authoritative win in the 1300m maiden. He jumps straight from park footy into the big leagues now in a very strong Saturday metropolitan race but he wouldn’t be here unless his trainer thought him up to the challenge. Handsome import Chorlton Lane landed some canny bets when he made his successful Australian debut here a few weeks back. Can take the next step on Saturday Noble Conqueror had next time written all over him first-up.

Bet: Navios each-way, box trifecta 1, 2, 4, 12

Lady Of Luxury (left) looks a good each-way chance in the Winter Challenge. Picture: Grant Guy

RACE 8

Lady Of Luxury’s tendency to give away a huge head start in her races is a worry but she can be counted on to explode late, it all comes down to tempo, luck, timing and track bias - hopefully none this week. That’s a lot of things that we are counting on but her talent is not in question. Kris Lees’ Irish gelding Acquitted was (almost) every bit as good as her stablemate Ucalledit in the Winter Stakes. Looks a real player here. Norwegian Bliss was better than her ‘0’ in the Ramornie. Bonny Ezra was fantastic in the Civic behind the aforementioned Ucalledit. Has some compelling ‘numbers’ to take this out.

Bet: Lady Of Luxury each-way, quinella 9, 13

RACE 9

The Bopper was an instant hit, literally, from day one when he broke the Tamworth course record on debut. The Kris Lees-trained son of Nicconi has certainly gone on with the job since with six wins, four seconds and a third in a total of 22 starts and he’s been unlucky at times. One word for the trials - wow. Zethus is a rock solid second/third tier Godolphin sprinter. He too has been good from start to finish and has worked his way up to a 95 rater with the likelihood that he will reach triple figures sometime this preparation or beyond. Goes well fresh. Dragonstone may just need an ‘out’ late from box two.

Bet: The Bopper to win

RACE 10

Tajneed is an I Am Invincible granddaughter of Melito who (for context and for what it is worth), I have previously written has Group potential. Sadly, she missed the autumn when she was sure (IMO) to have won a fillies black-type race. Kicks off again here having trialled fantastically well as usual. Not sure how many Chris Waller intends to run but I have them ordered this way; Kalino (good first-up) to beat Born A King (loves the track).

Bet: Tajneed to win