Autumn Racing Season 2010 – Week 9 – Rosehill Guineas

The Rosehill Guineas is the sole Group One event this weekend. Run over 2000 metres, it is for three year olds and hasn’t attracted much of a field, only 11 runners will start.

Be that as it may, the field is pretty good, with Crown Guineas winner Rock Classic and Randwick Guineas winner Shoot Out being the outstanding chances. Neither has raced further than 1600 metres, so the race is a kind of trial for the Derby for both of them. Hanks, trained by the in form Peter Moody has won over the distance as has the lone filly Run for Naara, but any one of the other runners – Kidnapped, Captain Sonador, Gathering, Zabrasive might turn the tables on the favourites.

I’d love to see Shoot Out win and his breeding (High Chaparral) suggests he’ll handle the distance easily as long as he’s not worn out from racing every second week since summer.

Last week’s results were a mix of the expected and the unexpected; Military Rose is the new favourite for the Golden Slipper after continuing her winning ways, beating the highly fancied Solar Charged by several lengths in the Riesling Stakes, and Theseo won his second Ranvet Stakes in succession in fine fashion. What an old war horse he is!

Alverta signalled that she wasn’t past it stealing the Coolmore Classic from Gold Water and Palacio de Cristal, and Hot Danish returned in style winning the Canterbury Stakes.

Star Witness bombed in the Todman Stakes, obviously unable to handle the Sydney way of going, so all plans for the Golden Slipper are off and he is being spelled until spring.

We won’t see Denman racing in Australia again, which is a pity, as he’s being sent to England and will be competing there in July. However, his aunt, a full sister to the great Lonhro, Shannara, shows promise, after a win at Warwick Farm on Wednesday.

A piece of good news is that Graceful Anna is back in training and will be competing in the Queensland winter carnival. She beat Shoot Out twice in the early summer and won the three year old Magic Millions Classic.