Welcome to our preview and horse racing betting tips for racing at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday, March 16th.
Group 1 racing continues with the running of the Coolmoore Classic for fillies and mares, as we head towards The Championships next month. In addition to the feature, we have two Group 2s and four Group 3s, making it a stacked card!
The track is a Good 4 with the rail in the true position, but there is a stack of rain predicted so watch track conditions closely. Check out our preview and betting tips for every race below.
ROSEHILL RACING TIPS
Best Bet: Race 8 Land Of Plenty
Best Value: Race 3 Catch Me
Lay Of The Day: Race 4 Born A Warrior
RACE 1: 3YO and Up BM88 Handicap 1350m
DON’T GIVE A DAMN was too bad to be true when resuming, his action didn’t look right and after dropping out he was forced to go to the trials. As expected, he didn’t do a lot there, only needing to get the tick of approval from the steward’s. He maps well and at the double figure odds have something small on him to bounce back. It looks a race where I would be happy to back three or four at longer odds and try and eke out a lead in the first, UP ‘N’ ROLLING was good here first-up last prep, sat up on the speed when runner-up and unsuccessfully protesting for the top spot whilst YOU MAKE ME SMILE will probably be the leader, hard on the fence may not be the place to be but he will take some catching. Take the three of them for equally small stakes.
Also backing: Up 'N' Rolling & You Make Me Smile
RACE 2: Mauirica McCarten Stakes Quality 1100m
EASY EDDIE is first-up off an 8-week break, he rarely runs a bad race and it is mostly contributed to him more often than not, making his own luck up on the speed. He was last seen at Gosford in their feature sprint two months ago, he was forced to sit wide (which you can do at the 1200m at Gosford) and still had the audacity to hit the front at the furlong before being run down late. He had won two in a row prior to that and has never missed a placing here at Rosehill from six runs. Boom apprentice Dolan sticks with the ride, from the Joe Pride yard, you always have to be wary of the betting, any significant decrease in price should improve the confidence, especially close to jump time. TREKKING looks the obvious danger, you won’t get rich making him a chop-out in addition to winning on the top selection, but it looks a race of few chances in which one of these classy geldings should be fronting up fresh. Be happy with a small win here, there are bigger fish to fry later in the card.
RACE 3: Magic Night Stakes 2YO Fillies Set Weights 1200m
VILLAMI was a brilliant winner on debut, he had trialed well prior to that which is standard for the Gerald Ryan yard and his youngsters. He jumped on the bunny that day here, kicked early in the straight and although he layed in late, was way too strong. The margin may not have been huge but there were another 3.3 lengths back to third. Obviously unknown in the wet as most of these are, would love to see some late money for him. An interesting runner is the Kiwi PROBABEEL, she was a brilliant winner of the karaka Million in her homeland last start, connections have been forward in suggesting that her grand final is in a few weeks and not being aimed at the Slipper. From the wide draw and probably needing the run, lay her the place here but she is a star, she will be ready to go for her main target, the Sires’ Produce.
RACE 4: Pago Pago Stakes 2YO C&G Set Weights 1200m
HIGHTAIL is resuming, he was enormous in the Magic Millions last start after having no luck being wide without cover throughout, he still had the audacity to hit the line hard after the tough run. He gets the blinkers on for the first time which may see him back running closer to the speed as he was at starts two and three. He has trialed well, McEvoy should get plenty of time from the 1200m chute to get cover, he looks great value if you can get each-way odds at some stage throughout betting. BORN A WARRIOR was ok on debut but looks a great lay in this, he is obviously still a maiden after getting rolled here at start one, he did plenty wrong and although he was checked at a vital stage, he didn’t show any grit thereafter and only battled late. There are some smart youngsters here, he is the one I want to oppose.
RACE 5: Phar Lap Stakes 3YO Set Weights 1500m
VERRY ELLEEGANT (11) ran on hard when resuming, she may still want further but it is hard to ignore the upside that she has. She was well back in the Vanity and ran on hard behind a couple of smart 3YO’s, the runner-up in that race has been huge at two subsequent runs. She is a staying star if the future and will only need a genuine tempo here to run over the top of them. ZALATTE (12) looks the only danger and it may be worth including her as a chop-out as a worse-case scenario, she won her first three before having a couple of months off. Her run in the Surround was a complete forget after she had no luck when never really clear.
RACE 6: Sky High Stakes SW+P 2000m
Genuine dart job!!! No confidence at all. You may be able to get double figures the field at some stage in betting, that's how open this race is on paper. RED CARDINAL was first-up off a Melbourne Cup run at Rosehill, he settled last a mile back and after finally getting a run early in the straight, ran on hard to score. He was huge odds that day and it was his first win on Australian soil so be wary of that, but his second-up record reads well and he no doubt gets the trip. He is racing against some middle-distance horses that, albeit they have won black type races, haven’t really set the world on fire. At double figure odds, he looks a good each-way bet. May be a “F” job in the Quaddie?
RACE 7: Coolmore Classic Fillies and Mares Quality 1500m
The girls get their chance at Group One glory here, and a full field of 20 will hit the ground running. The 1500m start at Rosehill couldn’t be fairer, a 400m run to the first turn should give everything their chance to find a position. Personally, I won’t be entertaining the thought of backing anything in single figures in such a race, fillies and mares races are hard enough without 20 of them to choose from! ALASSIO has won both runs leading into this, and the old adage of sticking with mares when in form applies here. She has good tactical speed, will be making her own luck in the huge field where others will rely on getting everything go to plan. Tim Clark is one of the best on-pace jocks in the land, drawn well she should look the winner somewhere in the straight. COOL PASSION is on the quick back-up from taking on some real top-liners last week, she sat outside Trapeze Artist and was only beaten 2.5 lengths in the end. She beat home Pierata, Brutal and Kementari, if she can offset the wide gate and get outside the leader, she will be hard to run down. OREGON’S DAY was super first-up whilst ECKSTEIN had no luck behind Alassio when second-up. Something small on all four of them and play even wider in the Quaddie.
RACE 8: Ajax Stakes Quality 1500m
LAND OF PLENTY has had the runaround with stables this prep and it can’t have been any good for him, he is a star. First-up he was with Weir, then to the Ciaron Maher stable and last start with the Snowden’s, he may have settled in there now and will no doubt lose nothing being in that yard. He gets the blinkers on for the first time back from WFA racing, is drawn well in the middle of the line where new jock Michael Rodd will have all the options. If he gets the right cart into it, he will just finish too hard for them here. Rosehill is a good track to have your first run going the clockwise direction, expect it to be no problem for this superstar horse. If you played wide in the Quaddie in the previous leg, don’t be scared to at least have one of your tickets with him one-out. Exotic players should include DREAMFORCE and FIFTY STARS on all of their tickets, SEAWAY is the one I would be happy to leave out, he has been good at his last couple but this is next-level stuff. He looks a big lay.
RACE 9: BM78 Handicap 1900m
SUPERNOVA will start near the top of the betting no doubt, he is still unknown here after having only the one start on our shores. He was good in England before coming here last prep, raced here a fortnight ago and ran on well to place. Still need to see more of him to recommend which makes this a hard race to assess. As he will be taking the most percentage out of the market there is little confidence there because I have no opinion with him one way or the either. SONDELON has been good, with the exception of his one start on a rain affected track. The play may be to leave him out if the rain from mid-week sticks around. CALIBRATION was well supported last time in an easier race but featured in the steward’s report, he looks an improver with the blinkers going on for the first time. As stated, no confidence at all with the favourite being so unknown, hopefully you are already ahead by now and have plenty of them going in a live Quadrella!
