RANDWICK PREVIEW August 8, 2009 SAN DOMENICO STAKES (1000M) Race 6, 3.40pm (Sydney time) While loss of the exciting Rothesay, due to a high temperature, has taken the gloss off Saturday’s Group 3 San Domenico Stakes (1000m) at Randwick, the race promises to be a high-speed and very competitive contest. The San Domenico is one of the few 3YO Group races run over 1000m, and usually it is won by a horse of high class (15 of the 28 winners have won at Group 1 level). With so much high-pressure, competitive speed in this year’s San Domenico, the race is perfectly set up for a strong finisher who will sit back and let the others do all the work. (The speed will come from Queensland-trained visitors, the filly Kiss Me Katy (trained by Steve O’Dea) and the gelding Sniplaz (Liam Birchley), and the slick David Paynetrained filly Cortina Gal.) That value runner could be Bart Cummings’ filly Sunday Rose. While she is a daughter of the speed sire Exceed And Excel, the chestnut filly is likely to be out-paced in the early stages. Sunday Rose hasn’t raced since finishing a luckless sixth behind More Joyous in the Group 2 Reisling Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill on March 21. She won her debut at Canterbury on February 4 (1100m) when she was ridden forward, but the real sign of her talent came at her second start when she finished hard between horses to run second behind Melito in the Group 2 Silver Slipper Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill on February 28. Cummings was keen to get Sunday
Rose into the Golden Slipper field, but she missed out, so the master trainer immediately sent his home-bred filly for a spell. Sunday Rose has had two strong trials, winning at Randwick (735m) on July 20. The filly, with Chris Munce in the saddle, has drawn perfectly in barrier one to track the pace on the rails. Trainer Graeme Rogerson is spruiking his colt Winter King, who is aiming for four wins on the trot. Winter King has a fitness edge over most of his rivals, but from barrier 11 it is hard to see him going forward without getting caught on a limb. Rogerson believes the drop from 59.5kg to 54kg is a big advantage for Winter King, who will be ridden by Glyn Schofield. The well-bred Purdey, by Lonhro, resumes from the autumn. He’s a maiden for trainer Peter Snowden, but his third behind Real Saga in the Group 2 Todman Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill on March 21 is probably the best formline for this race. Purdey is another who will race behind the predicted hectic tempo. Shellscrape has been leading and winning over slightly longer distances. Jockey Hugh Bowman chased the ride on the Dane Shadow colt, who hasn’t raced since winning the Listed Australia Post Stakes (1400m) at Doomben on June 20. Bowman might elect to take a trail behind the pace over 1000m, although the youngster has speed to burn and could press forward for the rails. The tips: For the value, Sunday Rose on top from Purdey, Shellscrape and Winter King.
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Predicted positions on settling
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AND ALSO The new season began with a whimper last Saturday for the Caulfield connection (trainers Price, Moody and Smerdon) that And Also believes can provide plenty of cash chances through the spring, but things should change on the 15th when they go around again at the Heath. This Saturday, as they say, is another day, but you’ll be betting blind if you have a crack at the first three races at Flemington – they’re a talking point, with apprentices from Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan taking on the best of the local boys, but watch and wait is the advice. Watch Matthew Chadwick (anyone who can ride 40-plus winners in his first season in the Hong Kong bear pit can ride) and wait for race six, the Aurie’s Star (1200m), when you will get a price about Mic Mac because he is up against Gran Sasso and Grand Duels, a couple who love Flemington. Mic Mac is 5-6 and has been mighty impressive, and Saturday’s jock Damien Oliver is 1-1 on him (by five lengths at the Valley in February). If MM is going to take over from Apache Cat as Cranbourne trainer Greg Eurell’s stable star, he will win this ... and next start will be shorter than the $2.50-$3 you should get now. Next turn to race seven, but at Morphettville, where travellin’ trainer Tony Noonan has Midnight Mustang (Brad Rawiller) taking on local favourites Augusta Proud and Clare Lindop at wfa in the Spring Stakes (1200m). This time the local’s got the visitor’s draw. Stephen Howell