On Saturday the esteemed Rosehill Gardens Racecourse hosted another elite day of racing when the Coolmore Classic meeting took place as part of the prestigious Golden Slipper Festival conducted by the Sydney Turf Club (STC).
The scheduled highlight was the $600, 000 Group 1 Coolmore Classic (1500m) where Alverta gave trainer Paul Messara his first Group 1 success.
The talented Flying Spur mare stared at generous odds of $18 after having only recently returned to racing since failing to get into foal since her spring retirement.
Alverta, who had also given Messara his first metropolitan win and his maiden stakes victory, proved her trainer’s decision to race her again a brilliant one as she claimed a two length victory ahead of the Gai Waterhouse-trained Gold Water ($17) with Palacio De Cristal, the $5.50 favourite, in third.
Earlier in the day, the first Group 1 feature at the Rosehill meeting took place, the $400, 000 Group 1 Ranvet Stakes (2000m). Premier Sydney trainer Gai Waterhouse took out the staying feature with her classy gelding Theseo, winner of the feature last year.
Theseo become just the fourth horse in history to win back-to-back Ranvet Stakes and is proving one of the stars of the 2010 autumn carnival as he was coming off a last start win in the Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes.
Other highlights on the day included race three, where Gillian Heinrich’s brilliant filly Military Rose stormed into Golden Slipper favouritism when she toyed with her rivals to claim an emphatic victory in the $300, 000 Group 2 Reisling Stakes (1200m).
Military Rose has now won all five of her career starts and her unbeaten record and easy win ahead of high quality two-year-olds including John O’Shea’s Solar Charged who placed third on Saturday has seen her shorten to the $3.20 favourite with IASbet for the world’s richest race for two-year-olds on April 3.
Following Military Rose’s impressive victory, in race four at the Rosehill races on Saturday the David Payne-trained Masquerader maintained his unbeaten record winning his second race start in the $300, 000 Group 2 Todman Stakes (1200m).
In the $150, 000 Group 2 Canterbury Stakes (1300m) Les Bridge’s six-year-old Nothin’ Leica Dane mare Hot Danish proved she still had plenty of steam, defeating a classy field including runner-up Black Piranha.
The final Group feature race of the day took place as race eight just after the Coolmore Classic. The $150, 000 Group 2 Phar Lap Stakes (1500m) was won by the Peter Moody-trained Redoute’s Choice colt Tickets.
The victory gave the leading Caulfield trainer a small victory on a day filled with disappointment, including the scratching of his filly Set For Fame, an early favourite for the Coolmore Classic.
Race Results – Rosehill – Saturday March 20, 2010:
Race # |
Race Name |
Distance |
Winner |
Trainer |
Jockey |
Runner-Up |
Third |
| 1 | Sydney Confidential Maurice McCarten STakes | 1100m | Welkom Gold | Darren Smith | Jim Cassidy | Nightofthegeneral | Rarefied |
| 2 | Bacardi Breezer Handicap | 1100m | Verballed | Neville Voigt | Glen Boss | Sweepstaking | Lagerphone |
| 3 | Reisling STakes | 1200m | Military Rose | Gillian Heinrich | Michael Rodd | Obsequious | Solar Charged |
| 4 | Todman Stakes | 1200m | Masquerader | David Payne | Michael Rodd | Decision Time | Carved In Stone |
| 5 | MYER Canterbury Stakes | 1300m | Hot Danish | Les Bridge | Tim Clark | Black Piranha | Mr Baritone |
| 6 | Ranvet Stakes | 2000m | Theseo | Gai Waterhouse | Nash Rawiller | Rangirangdoo | Speed Gifted |
| 7 | Coolmore Classic | 1500m | Alverta | Paul Messara | Tye Angland | Gold Water | Palacio De Cristal |
| 8 | Phar Lap Stakes | 1500m | Tickets | Peter Moody | Luke Nolen | Al Dhafra | Descarado |
| 9 | Soft As Soap Sky High Stakes | 1900m | Bellagio Wynn | Chris Waller | Michael Rodd | Hadaaf | Cousin Wal |
