Despite delays to her three-year-old debut the David Vandyke-trained ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes winning filly Yankee Rose is among the final acceptors for the Golden Rose Stakes 2016 field at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.
Group 1 winning filly Yankee Rose makes her return in the 2016 Golden Rose Stakes field in Sydney on Saturday. Photo: Steve Hart.
A final field of 14 three-year-olds are engaged for this year’s $1 million Group 1 Golden Rose Stakes (1400m), which is set to run as Rosehill Race 6 at 3:10pm (AEST).
Three fillies take on the boys in the set weights classic looking to become the first female Golden Rose Stakes winner since Forensics (2008) including Yankee Rose.
Vandyke’s consistent daughter of All American has won three of her four starts to date, but she hasn’t raced since taking out the Group 1 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) over the Golden Rose distance at Randwick back in early April.
As a juvenile her only loss was the brave second as a 21/1 roughie behind Capitalist in the Group 1 Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill in March, and her other two career wins outside the Sires’ were both at Rosehill.
She has trialled twice in the lead-up to her highly anticipated return, the latest producing a 1270m trial win at the Sunshine Coast on August 30.
Yankee Rose is drawn barrier nine for Saturday with Zac Purton returning to the saddle having ridden her in the Slipper and Sires’ in the autumn.
Barrier nine last produced a Golden Slipper winner with Toorak Toff (2010), while both Purton and Vandyke chase their first wins in the Sydney Spring Racing Carnival feature.
Last year trainer John O’Shea won the Golden Rose with Exosphere (2015) and he and the Godolphin stable are back chasing successive victories this season with two acceptors.
To wear the number one saddlecloth is the stable’s in-form Medaglia D’Oro colt Astern who has suffered an early blow drawing out wide in barrier 12, while stablemate Impending is drawn ideally in gate two.
James McDonald continues his association with Astern having ridden him for his two latest wins – the Group 3 Kindergarten Stakes (1100m) at Randwick in the autumn and the Group 2 The Run To The Rose (1200m) first-up on August 27.
The Run To The Rose has produced the past four straight Golden Rose Stakes winners including both Hallowed Crown (2014) and Exosphere (2015) who completed the double Astern chases this weekend.
Last start he and McDonald jumped from barrier three, but in the Group 1 on Saturday the colt will need to be at his best as he sees the 1400m for the first time from a wide alley (12 of 14), which hasn’t produced a Rose winner since the filly Forensics eight years ago.
Impending meanwhile has Brenton Avdulla in the saddle again, the hoop aboard the Lonhro colt first-up for his third in the Run To The Rose when beaten 3.7 lengths.
The other most notable last start winners in the mix are the Team Hawkes-trained Divine Prophet and the Chris Waller-trained filly Omei Sword drawn in barriers 10 and three respectively.
Jockey Tommy Berry is after his second Golden Rose win having saluted aboard Epaulette (2012) when he jumps on Choisir colt Divine Prophet this weekend.
The Hawkes Racing runner ran third to Prized Icon in the Group 1 Champagne Stakes (1600m) in mid-April before a first-up victory with Berry in the saddle at Randwick on April 20 in the Group 3 Up & Coming Stakes (1300m).
The last Golden Rose Stakes winner to back up off a run in the Up & Coming Stakes was Manawanui who completed the double in 2011.
Omei Sword meanwhile jumps from the barrier Manawanui won from four years ago when Waller’s classy daughter of High Chaparral looks to continue her winning ways after the big 3.3 length first-up win at Randwick in the Group 2 Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m).
See below for the full Golden Rose Stakes 2016 field, barriers and jockeys.
Updated 2016 Golden Rose odds are due out at Ladbrokes.com.au shortly so make sure you have an open at the country’s leading bookmaker ready to go.
2016 Golden Rose Stakes Final Field & Barrier Draw
Rosehill Race 6 (3:10pm) – 10/09/2016
| # | Form (Last 10) | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Br. | Wgt. | H. Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1x101x1 | ASTERN | John O’Shea | James McDonald | 12 | 56.5kg | 92 |
| 2 | 11×4 | EL DIVINO | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Hugh Bowman | 4 | 56.5kg | 87 |
| 3 | 2x105x9 | GOOD STANDING | James Cummings | Glyn Schofield | 6 | 56.5kg | 84 |
| 4 | 5x13x1 | DIVINE PROPHET | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | Tommy Berry | 10 | 56.5kg | 82 |
| 5 | 132x830x6 | NIKITAS | Chris Waller | TBA | 8 | 56.5kg | 79 |
| 6 | 11213 | THRONUM | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Kerrin McEvoy | 13 | 56.5kg | 78 |
| 7 | 13×3 | IMPENDING | John O’Shea | Brenton Avdulla | 2 | 56.5kg | 77 |
| 8 | 6×12 | DERRYN | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | Tim Clark | 7 | 56.5kg | 76 |
| 9 | 55×125 | MEDITERRANEAN | Peter & Paul Snowden | Blake Shinn | 5 | 56.5kg | 73 |
| 10 | 213206×34 | OINK | Kelly Schweida | Paul Hammersley | 11 | 56.5kg | 71 |
| 11 | 1 | CHAMALU (NZ) | Liam Birchley | James Orman (a) | 1 | 56.5kg | 62 |
| 12 | 11x21x | YANKEE ROSE | David Vandyke | Zac Purton | 9 | 54.5kg | 101 |
| 13 | 129×1 | OMEI SWORD | Chris Waller | TBA | 3 | 54.5kg | 82 |
| 14 | 17×532 | O’REILLY CYRUS (NZ) | Liam Birchley | Jason Collett | 14 | 54.5kg | 64 |
