Rosehill race-by-race preview & best bets | Saturday, October 30

Race 1: Benchmark 78 Handicap (1200m)


The opening race of the day looks to have a fair bit of speed in it, thanks to the likes of Zorocat, Lady Brook and Georgie’s Pride, so we expect the favourite, Katalin, to get the run of the race from gate three. The James Cummings-trained mare has won three of her six career starts, with her runs having been spread few and far between. The five-year-old has only raced twice this calendar year, winning by three lengths first-up off a 14-month break before finishing fifth here on a Heavy 8 track. She looks the clear on-top pick.

Selections: 2-3-1-6

Race 2: Benchmark 78 (1900m)


In the second race of the day, a field of nine will contest the 1900m contest, and Mightybeel looks a deserving favourite. The Chris Waller-trained son of Savabeel has won back-to-back races now and will be sent out in his bid to complete a hat-trick of wins. Having won at this track and distance two starts ago by three lengths before winning on the Kensington track at Randwick last Wednesday, the in-form galloper looks right on track to add another win to his fast-growing tally. Drawn in barrier eight with Hugh Bowman aboard, Mightybeel will get to the second half of the field and be able to sprint quickly at the end of the 1900m journey. If we had to select one to beat him, it would have to be his stablemate Solar Apex, who had his colours lowered last time out at Randwick.

Selections: 2-5-8-1

Race 3: Class 3 Highway Handicap (1200m)


We go back to the 1200m in the third, but this time it is the country gallopers contesting the Highway race. This is a fairly competitive edition this weekend, with two runners at the pointy end of the market both coming out of The Kosciuszko – Ice In Vancouver and Ceasefire. While the two runners ran 10th and 12th respectively in the $1.3 million race, Cody Morgan’s Ice In Vancouver did defeat Paul Messara’s horse by fourth lengths. The four-year-old has drawn well in barrier two, so he should be able to dictate terms and be very hard to beat as he drops significantly in grade.

Selections: 2-4-3-5

Race 4: The Four Pillars (1500m)


The inaugural running of The Four Pillars will see a full field of 18 horses contest the 1500m event, which comes with a $700,000 prize pool. While we don’t particularly want to tip the first four favourites on top, we are big fans of Kim Waugh’s Different Strokes, and given this is his grand final, we don’t want to jump off now. The son of Hinchinbrook is yet to be out of the placings in six career starts, winning three of those, including a dominant Midway win on October 9 at Randwick over 1400m. The four-year-old should relish 1500m as well. Barrier one could be tricky at the start, but provided he jumps well, he should be able to box seat and that could be all she wrote.
Selections: 4-5-7-15

Race 5: Rosehill Gold Cup (2000m)


The Rosehill Gold Cup is one of the feature races of the afternoon, with Think It Over looking to make it three wins on the trot, while Ciaron Maher & David Eustace’s Gold Trip will make his Australian debut after being scratched on the eve of the Cox Plate. We were happy to be against Gold Trip in the Cox Plate, but this race shapes perfectly for the former European. Tim Clark will partner the five-year-old, and although he has to lug 61kg, he has plenty of class. Think It Over is flying this preparation, so we are wary of the favourite.

Selections: 1-2-6-7

Race 6: Classique Legend Stakes (1300m)


Named after the 2020 Everest winner, the Classique Legend Stakes sees six horses come out of last fortnight’s $15 million race. Gytrash won this race 12 months ago after finishing second in The Everest, and while the South Australian galloper was beaten 4.5 lengths last time out, he is one of a few horses who has the 1300m box ticked. Both of the market fancies, Eduardo and Masked Crusader, are potentially not going to take their place, with the former a massive query at 1300m.

Selections: 3-2-13-10

Race 7: Golden Eagle (1500m)


The feature race on the program is the $7.5 million Golden Eagle, and we have gone wide. Aim won the Silver Eagle three weeks ago, and while the quality of opposition was tougher than this, he only needs to improve slightly from his first-up run. The Snowden stable are flying over the past month, while Andrew Adkins isn’t going too bad himself. The wide alley will see this son of Star Witness get back and be screaming home. Count De Rupee was the unlucky runner in the Silver Eagle, while both previous Group 1 winners – I’m Thunderstruck and Private Eye – should be considered.

Selections: 6-11-2-4

Race 8: Benchmark 78 (1100m)

The second leg of the quaddie is a competitive affair over 1100m, and one that we are keen to speck at odds is Bjorn Baker’s Flat Heaven. The seven-year-old doesn’t win out of turn, but he does go well second-up and should relish a good tempo to chase. Three starts back, this son of French Fifteen finished second to Lost And Running, which reads well in this Benchmark race. Drawn out in barrier 12, he will get back again and be running on strongly late. The race favourite, Delexo, is the one to beat, while On The Lead can go one better than his last-start second.

Selections: 2-6-4-12

Race 9: Benchmark 78 (1500m)


The penultimate race is one of the more competitive races of the day, with three horses under $5. Ma And Pa is one of those three, with the Chris Waller-trained gelding looking to win four in a row. The son of Redoute’s Choice has been dominant in his three wins this campaign, with his most recent coming at Warwick Farm in a Wednesday metro race, so the logical next step is to head to a Saturday-grade race. Drawn in barrier one, Nash Rawiller will look to lead on the four-year-old as he has done in his three wins. This is the next step up, but we are confident he can make it.

Selections: 5-1-4-8

Race 10: Benchmark 78 (1300m)


The final race of the afternoon is a tough way to finish, but we think James Cummings can bookend the program with Promotions here. The son of Exceed And Excel was dominant when leading all of the way at Warwick Farm three weeks ago, and while there is a bit more pressure in this, he should be able to get a similar run from barrier eight. The five-year-old has had three starts at Rosehill for two third-placed efforts and a fourth, so we know he handles the track, while he has also been in the placings in five of his six 1300m attempts. This looks his race again.

Selections: 11-5-13-4