Continuing the ace Golden Slipper Day results for Chris Waller, gun young grey D’Argento did plenty wrong but still posted a dominant Rosehill Guineas 2018 win on way to a possible Doncaster Mile bid.

Rosehill Guineas winner D’Argento could come back to in distance for the 2018 Doncaster Mile at Royal Randwick next race. Photo: Steve Hart.
One race after Waller and jockey Hugh Bowman made history with Winx winning her third George Ryder Stakes, the trainer and hoop combo were back in the winners’ stall at Rosehill Gardens with D’Argento saluting for the punters in the Group 1 $600,000 Rosehill Guineas (2000m).
The up-and-coming colt handed Waller his first win in the three-years-old classic and also provided his sire So You Think with a maiden Group 1 winner down under.
D’Argento was the market mover on race day backed in from $4.60 to $3.80 at Ladbrokes.com.au and became the second Rosehill Guineas favourite in three years to salute.
Relishing the Soft going, he improved on a luckless seventh last time out to Kementari in the Group 1 Randwick Guineas (1600m), the form of which was franked with the winner running third to Winx in the George Ryder Stakes trifecta today.
“It was unlucky he didn’t get a good crack at them in the Randwick Guineas,” Waller said.
“But today was a good result. He’s still a young horse learning his trade.”
Bowman had D’Argento landing midfield after the jump with Darren Weir’s Alister Clark Stakes winner from last Friday night, Cliff’s Edge, winning the start and taking up front running in the Rosehill Guineas.
Another of Waller’s runners, $81 roughie hope Tangled meanwhile settled last from the outside gate, but would later make-up all the ground to finish in the money behind his better fancied stablemate.
Cliff’s Edge led the field around after settling, while the VRC Derby winner Ace High ran in third and the NZ Derby winner Vin De Dance rallying up into fourth.
D’Argento had little luck getting caught three wide midfield by the 1200m, but Bowman didn’t panic.
Approaching the turn, Cliff’s Edge came away from the rail looking to get into the right spot to go all-the-way.
He was quickly challenged by a stack of backmarkers however including D’Argento coming down the outside.
Cliff’s Edge fought on gamely for a while, but D’Argento eventually hit the front and flew away to defeat the Kiwi raider Vin De Dance who had eased out from $7 to $16.
In third rounding out the Rosehill Guineas trifecta was the also Waller-trained Tangled atoning for the dead last in the Randwick Guineas in the lead-up.
A subsequent protest on the Rosehill Guineas 2018 results however saw Vin De Dance relegated to fourth and Waller officially handed the quinella with Tangled improving from third to second and the horse behind the protest, the previously undefeated Furore securing third position.
D’Argento travelled three deep the entire journey and once on the straight all he wanted to do was duck in.
Bowman had to peel the eventual winner off the heels of those in front of him a few times but D’Argento showed his class still managing to lengthen for the nice Group 1 success.
“To see him win after being three wide, it was a pretty big effort,” Waller said.
Next-up plans for D’Argento are to either bring him back to a mile for a shot at the Group 1 $3 million Doncaster Mile (1600m) under handicap conditions on April 7 at Royal Randwick or step him up to a mile and a half on the same day for the Group 1 $2 million Australian Derby (2400m).
“I’m not sure about the Derby, we’ll see how strong we are in the Doncaster,” Waller said.
“He’s a really good horse.
“Obviously I’ll have a talk to Hughie and work it all out.”
Waller is yet to prepare an Australian Derby winner and the last to do the double off a Rosehill Guineas win was Criterion (2014).
The master trainer’s record in the Doncaster Mile is far more imposing, Waller having prepared six past winners including most recently Winx (2016).
Among Waller’s Doncaster Mile winners were three three-year-olds: Triple Honour (2008), Sacred Falls (2013) and Kermadec (2015).
Of those Sacred Falls, who also returned to win the 2014 Doncaster Mile, came off a Rosehill Guineas second when there were three weeks between the races instead of two.
“If we can work it that way I might like to win a Doncaster more than a Derby,” Waller said.
“He’s a colt and you’ve got to respect that.”
Following the Rosehill Guineas results D’Argento firmed in from $9 to $3.80 for the ATC Derby at Ladbrokes.com.au and $26 into $13 in futures Doncaster Mile 2018 odds.
2018 Rosehill Guineas Results & Finishing Order
Rosehill Race 6 – 24/03/2018
Place | # | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Margin | Br. | Weight | SP |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 8 | D’ARGENTO | Chris Waller | Hugh Bowman | – | 8 | 56.5kg | $3.80F |
2 | 6 | TANGLED | Chris Waller | Michael Walker | 1.3L | 17 | 56.5kg | $81 |
3 | 15 | FURORE (NZ) | Kris Lees | Brenton Avdulla | 2.3L | 5 | 56.5kg | $12 |
4 | 2 | VIN DE DANCE (NZ) | Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman | Jason Waddell | 2.4L | 2 | 56.5kg | $15 |
5 | 4 | CLIFF’S EDGE | Darren Weir | John Allen | 2.9L | 1 | 56.5kg | $8.50 |
6 | 1 | ACE HIGH | David Payne | Tye Angland | 3L | 10 | 56.5kg | $7 |
7 | 13 | MISSION HILL | Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman | Damian Lane | 3.1L | 7 | 56.5kg | $18 |
8 | 5 | MONGOLIANCONQUEROR (NZ) | Stephen Autridge & Jamie Richards | Opie Bosson | 3.2L | 18 | 56.5kg | $31 |
9 | 9 | VILLERMONT | Aaron Purcell | Blake Shinn | 3.3L | 3 | 56.5kg | $11 |
10 | 7 | CAPITAL GAIN | Paul Butterworth | Ben Melham | 4.5L | 9 | 56.5kg | $61 |
11 | 11 | THE LORD MAYOR (NZ) | Chris Waller | Kerrin McEvoy | 5L | 11 | 56.5kg | $18 |
12 | 14 | MAIN STAGE (NZ) | Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young | Mark Zahra | 5.8L | 12 | 56.5kg | $20 |
13 | 17 | CONDOR | Paul Perry | Luke Currie | 6L | 14 | 56.5kg | $101 |
14 | 10 | KAONIC (NZ) | Chris Waller | Zac Purton | 7.5L | 15 | 56.5kg | $11 |
15 | 16 | SO YOU WIN | Chris Waller | Craig Williams | 7.7L | 6 | 56.5kg | $41 |
16 | 12 | ENDOWMENT (NZ) | Chris Gibbs | Damien Oliver | 8.3L | 16 | 56.5kg | $31 |
17 | 3 | AGE OF FIRE | Stephen Autridge & Jamie Richards | Jason Collett | 9L | 13 | 56.5kg | $51 |
18 | 18 | TERWILLIKER | Anthony & Edward Cummings | Andrew Adkins | 14.6L | 4 | 56.5kg | $101 |
– | 21e | TANGMERE (NZ) | Chris Waller | – | – | 0 | – | – |
– | 20e | YURALLA BOY | Todd Howlett | – | – | 0 | – | – |
– | 19e | MONGOLIAN MARSHAL (NZ) | Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman | Tommy Berry | – | 0 | – | – |