Golden Rose Stakes at Rosehill – 30 August 2008

The Group 2 $1,000,000 Tooheys New Golden Rose Stakes for three-year-olds is the only million dollar race of the Sydney Spring Carnival. The set-weights 1400 metre race was first run in 2003 as a Group 3 race and in 2007 it was elevated to Group 2 level. This year the field of fourteen runners includes horses from Melbourne, Queensland and New Zealand.

The early favourite is the powerful colt Duporth who won the Group 3 San Domenico two starts ago and covered a lot of ground when coming third at his last start. Connections felt he was unlucky last start and should atone on Saturday. He will be ridden by in-form jockey Hugh Bowman who is the only jockey to have won this race more than once with winning rides on In Top Swing in 2003 and Doonan in 2004, the first two runnings of the race.

Second favourite in the early market is the unbeaten colt Desetude. Sheikh Mohammed paid the late acceptance fee of $50,000 which indicates a lot of confidence in the horse. He is trained by Peter Snowden and will be ridden by Danny Nikolic – the combination who won the last Golden Rose with Forensics. The race was run in the autumn as equine influenza interrupted the spring running. This means if Desetude can win it will be Snowdens second Golden Rose in 2008.

Third favourite is the David Hayes trained All American who was runner-up in the Blue Diamond and has won more prizemoney than any other horse in the field. Hayes is veery confident that the horse will do a great job first-up coming from barrier 4.

David Payne has three runners with Baci Amore, Emperor Bonaparte and Stripper. He rates the filly Stripper as his best hope of the three, although they are all well credentialed. Bart Cummings has two starters with Royal Striker and the filly Indirect who was most impressive when winning at her debut on 9 August.

by Jo Jackson

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