Sydney: Comprehensive preview of every race at Rosehill

A COMPREHENSIVE preview of every race for Saturday’s meeting at Rosehill with Shayne O’Cass.

Star Turn. Picture: Simon Bullard.

NOTE: RACES are assessed for a Soft 7. All horses are considered starters unless notified by Thursday at 1 PM. (N/R) denotes no rating.

RACE 1

7. LABDIEN (73) was always going to run well first-up off a lovely trial and she sure did. The Chris Waller trained daughter of the former Waller trained Stryker finished hard up along the running rail to clock in 7th but only 2.5-lens from the winner Interstellar who seems to have a real future. Labdien was a G3 runner-up down in Melbourne towards the end of her last prep and she does look to be in a good spot right now. On top of that, she is 1s 1w when racing second-up. Snowden mare 6. EXTENSIBLE (73) is a classy type who had no luck first-up but you couldn’t say the same about last time where she looked to have her chance but was steam rolled late. Could easily make amends for her two costly defeats this time in so far. 4. TREE OF JESSE (78) has had a couple of excuses I reckon for her two lacklustre runs this time in. The 1400m first-up was good in theory but worked against her on the day. Start two, she was on the bog at Randwick last weekend and we have to be forgiving on the losers — well quite a few of them anyway.

RACE 2

NOT many Highways are easy, this is one of the hard ones. 13. NO WHEN TO HOLD ‘EM (55) is from the yard of master trainer Neville Layt of Karuta Queen fame and has now fully fledged senior jockey Winona Costin to ride. A grey by Domesday out of a Dash For Cash (he was grey) mare, this 3YO filly is 9s 1-3-2 and one must note that a couple of those placings were behind Flash Fibian who goes really well. The horse is a last start winner and a big winner at that taking out a Canberra 2YO handicap on the Heavy 10 by over 2-lens. Not just a wet tracker though; she has Flash Fibian form on good surfaces. 12. BESIDE YOU (58) was among the nominations for the feature San Domenico Stakes but was going to have a job beating Capitalist and Star Turn. The horse is unbeaten in his two runs and they have been massive wins, one at Kempsey then that barnstorming first-up win at Coffs on Jul. 24. Can’t knock him in any way — he’s rather promising. but barrier 14? Not so good. Tommy Berry mount 5. FARAH (55) resumed with a closing 2nd at Gunnedah over 1000m. He’s only won the 1 from 14 and that was at 900m at Scone but he has 7 placings which equates to a better than 50 per cent ‘pay’ for his backers.

RACE 3

7. MORE THAN FABULOUS (70) was scratched from a 2400m race last start saved for this which was wise in my humble opinion because as honest, fit and in-form as he is right now, I was never really sold on him at a mile and a half. Back to 2000m at home though and with Blake Shinn reuniting, it’s a different kettle of fish altogether. This son of More Than Ready has really hit his best stride of late — he was finding it hard to win for so long but having bolted in at 2 of his past 3, he’s a confident horse now. 10. FIREBIRD FLYER (70) is on the 7-day back-up after finishing a well beaten 6.3-lens 2nd in a leader dominate race on a leader bias track at Randwick last weekend. You have to be a bit forgiving for the beaten horses that day and we know from how she was going into the race that here we have a mare in form and capable of bouncing back from what wasn’t a terrible run by any means. 2. DOUKHAN (76) ran a great race at the $21 when 3rd at the Canterbury Saturday meeting on Jul. 6. It’s worth noting that Doukhan is 5s 0-0-2 first-up but rockets to 3s 2w with a run under the belt. Stable is on fire; ditto the jockey.

RACE 4

DUAL acceptor 5. MORE TO GAIN (69) did some very good things during his campaign and showed he had come back well with that 0.2-lens 2nd of 5 in a Gosford C2 on the heavy 10. The horse is 9s 2-2-2 overall and one of those wins was here at Rosehill over 1300m beating the handy types Dinghu Mountain and Stoker. The step up to the 1500m will suit him being a mile winner by 4.3-lens from last (at Gosford). 13. TENNESEE FLING (64) is a lightly-raced an promising type that is 3s 2-1-0. Those two wins were fabulous albeit in easier races at Taree and Beaumont and the 2nd had plenty of merit too; she lost it at the start and flew home to be beaten a half-length. Harder here but she is up to winning on town. 1. PIRATE BEN (720 is the highest rated horse in the race — just — coming off a sequence of three wins and 4th. That 4th was off a freshen up and coming back in distance from 1900m to 1250m so more power to him, it was a ripper run. Clearly the rise in distance is a big plus for him, the barrier far less so. He’ll need a lot of luck now.

RACE 5

IT is always an exciting day to the return of a Golden Slipper winner and this is the day after Capitalist was seemingly wisely scratched from the Missile last week due to the heavy track. I love the horse but at $1.60 (TAB Fixed Odds opening quote) I can’t see the value in him for we small punters. Therefore I am going to bet on 3. STAR TURN (74) at the $4.20 (TAB Fixed opening quote) who was 3.2-lens behind Capitalist in the Golden Slipper. Both colts have won their two trial leading into this, both in outstanding manner. Star Turn was always going to be a very good horse once he put it all together, from what I have seen in his trials, he seems to have a much better grip on what he needs to do to really expose his talents than what he was doing in the building phase of his career. At home, fresh, 1100m, looks a good gamble to me. As for 1. CAPITALIST (101), he was Manikato or Luskin Star like in his Golden Slipper win — so dominant, he’s the best 2YO we’ve seen for a while. There is no reason to say he hasn’t come back as well as he went and he might just blow then off the park — but $10 at $4.20 beats $1.60 every day of the week. Of the rest, 4. TANGO RAIN (71) is fit and unbeaten but I just can’t imagine him beating both these colts; maybe one but not both of them.

Sarajevo. Picture: Simon Bullard.

RACE 6

I WAS pretty keen on 10. SLOW PACE (83) first-up at Canterbury a few Saturday’s back and even though he only managed to finish 6th, I thought he ran okay from a ‘next time’ point of view. I went back and watched the run on Wednesday and was pleased to note that he was kinda coming again late over the last 50m so he hit the line pretty well all told. The American-bred galloper has won from a mile to 2400m so being 1800m tomorrow, he’ll be fine. He is also 11s 1-1-1 first-up but has 2 of 8 second-up bearing in mind that that number accounts for half of his winning tally. Berry rides for the in-form Kris Lees; each-way all day. 5. SACRED MASTER (96) was a real eye-catcher first-up in the 1500m Winter Challenge at Canterbury first-up since his 3rd in the 3200m Auckland Cup and first time for Chris Waller. He would be up to winning the actual Premier’s Cup, let alone the Prelude tomorrow. He is a quality stayer, no doubt about that, but I am almost obliged to back up on the Lees horse having backed him first-up. 4. ALLERGIC (96) didn’t have much grace from his wide alley in the Winter Challenge and was quite brave to be beaten only 2.3-lens. He swaps 8 of 11 that day to 3 of 12 tomorrow, and with the added fitness and added distance, he is a real player. Best of the rest is definitely the class horse, 1. JUNOOB (106) who rates 7 points above his stablemate and Winter Challenge winner 2. MARENOSTRO (99).

RACE 7

FORMER Kiwi galloper 2. COSMIC CUBE (100) has his first run tomorrow for Chris Waller, the horse having stayed in Sydney when previous trainer David Vandyke moved up to the Sunshine Coast. DVD handed over a horse in great condition but you can see that he’s really settled in quickly and well into his new surrounds on track at Rosehill judged solely on that brilliant trial where he went to the line under a stranglehold when 2nd to Grafton Ramornie winner Smart Volatility on Jun. 29 in a Randwick heat. Cosmic Cube is very good fresh being 7s 3-0-3 and his only run at Rosehill prior to Saturday was a 0.2-lens 2nd to Havana Cooler, and in front of Rudy et al, in the G3 Doncaster Prelude at his last start for DVD. Monitor markets moves with this one. 3. SADLER’S LAKE (99) was one of my trial specials from that same heat that Cosmic Cube contested. You couldn’t miss the cerise clad galloper, Sadler’s Lake, looming into 5th spot as they crossed the line in what was so clearly a deep heat. Always has talent, and lots of it, but at this point in time he is 4s 1-0-0 fresh which rises to 4s 2-1-0 second-up so I wonder if we wait for one more? 9. TESTASHADOW (87) has no weight with 51kgs, that’s nothing for a horse with his ability. Deanne Panya, Sydney’s leading apprentice, had a ‘go round’ on the horse in a WF trial and it was a fun ride as the pair won the 1250m heat narrowly but with plenty of authority.

RACE 8

I HAVE no doubt that if the best 7. SARAJEVO (84) ever turned up at the races, he would win a major — G2 maybe even. It’s just that like one of my other old mates from the Sheikh Mohammed string, Sessions, there’s something stopping him from ever realising his potential on race day. That’s not to say he will never, but perhaps I’d be wise to down grade my bullish assessment of him. With that all said though, if he runs up to the second of his two trials where it counts tomorrow, he will be winning and winning big. Gambling is about faith and hunches so many times; I have a hunch and still some faith that the real Sarajevo will step off the float tomorrow. 10. KANGARILLA JOY (84) is a mare that I have said from trial days would win Group races and she went close at her opening prep with that 2nd in the Light Fingers. A big, tall Lonhro granddaughter of Midnight Fever, Kangarilla Joy was very wisely withheld from her scheduled debut under a big weight on a heavy 10 at HQ last week. This is a harder race despite the 55kgs, but I am sure she is right to run a race given her own lovely trial and stack of natural talent. 12. SNOOPY (76) is one of the more intriguing runners all day. The Team Hawkes trained 4YO is 9s 4-0-1 but more importantly, 3s 3w first-up. Has done all of his racing in Melbourne but there’s 30 odd years of this stable winning horses in Sydney that travel up from Melbourne.

RACE 9

I REMEBER full well being all over 10. TAKEWING (71) when he resumed at the top of last prep in a race at Kembla that happened to be on my birthday (Feb. 13) where the horse came from a hopeless position to win at $12. It was as good a win as you’d see; they ran 1:09.24s, last 600m in 34.02s and heaven only knows what Takewing’s sectionals must have been, but take it as read, that there would have been awesome. Next time out he came to town and jumped up again from nowhere to run the handy Handfast to 0.2-lens. He ran 8th (twice) after that and went out. The horse, who is 6s 1-0-2 fresh, has trialled twice and finished 8 of 8 then 8 of 9 but trust me, that’s the way Jason Coyle ordered them to be — Jay Ford had a lapful under him both times! You watch this horse run right over the top of them tomorrow at big odds. Very keen! 4. RHODIN DRIVE (75) is a great exacta/quinella horse. I always maintain that Gwenda Markwell is in the top 3 first-up trainers in the state and I feel she has this bloke ready to pounce. He has been around in some very big races so a Bm78 is small potatoes for him. I am definitely suggesting the 10/4 bet here ... quinella/exacta/back both if you’re loaded. Anything goes for the rest — 8. APPOINT PERCY (71), 1. ENCOSTANATI (79) and 8. EVER SO NATURAL (72) are all worth throwing in if you like a box trifecta.