Sydney Preview: Jacquinot can land Golden Rose

With TwinSpires offering its Rest Of The World Bet Back every Friday night on all races from Sydney, Edge will be analyzing at least one race on the card each week.

The first major spring target for three-year-olds in Australia arrives this weekend in the form of the Golden Rose (G1) at Rosehill. The race has produced some high-class winners over the years and a field of up to 16 horses is set to start.

In addition, Rosehill hosts two Group 2 races, a Group 3, and a Listed event. Let’s have a look at them.

Race 4, 11:40 p.m. Friday: Colin Stephen Quality (G3), 2,400 meters (about 1 1/2 miles), 3-year-olds and up

A pretty weak field, none with a rating over 100, has been drawn for this lead-up to the Metropolitan (G1). The state of Australian stayers is shown by the fact that of seven remaining runners, six were bred in the northern hemisphere.

The form horse is clearly the U.S.-bred #1 Cadre Du Noir. The son of War Front smashed his opponents by more than five lengths in the Listed Tatts Cup Sept. 3, and though he’ll have to concede up to 5kg here, he’ll take a ton of beating.

His biggest danger may be #4 Mohican Heights, who beat home 2019 Melbourne Cup winner Vow and Declare when runner-up at Flemington last start.

• $20 win: #1 Cadre Du Noir
• $5 quinella: 1, 4

Race 6, 12:50 a.m. Saturday: Heritage Stakes (Listed), 1,100 meters (about 5 1/2 furlongs), 3-year-olds

A useful collection of three-year-olds contest this sprint. Golden Slipper (G1) runner-up #1 Best of Bordeaux put in an improved effort second-up to beat all but In Secret in the Run to the Rose (G2)  Sept. 10. He could potentially be racing for a start in the A$15 million Everest next month given he is part-owned by Coolmore, an Everest slot holder.

Best of Bordeaux has weight to give away but most of his opponents don’t have much black-type performance to back their credentials, and he should go close to victory here.

The best of the others is probably #3 Semillion, last season’s Kindergarten (G3) winner who wasn’t far away when fifth in the McEwen (G2) in Melbourne Sept. 3. #2 Swiss Exile and the improving filly #9 Opal Ridge look the best of the others.

• $30 win: #1 Best of Bordeaux
• $1 trifecta: 1 with 2, 3, 9 with all

Race 7, 1:25 a.m. Saturday: Golden Pendant (G2), 1,400 meters (about 7 furlongs), 3-year-old and up fillies and mares

A good quality field of fillies and mares start here, headed by Queen of the Turf (G1) winner #1 Nimalee. She put up an improved effort for third behind Zaaki and Icebath in the Tramway (G2) Sept. 3 and faces an easier field here, though topweight and a horror barrier draw don’t help her.

Many of the runners faced each other two weeks ago in the Sheraco (G2), among them runner-up #4 Electric Girl, #6 Palaisipan (third), #8 Espiona (sixth), #2 Startantes (seventh), and #10 My Whisper (ninth). Electric Girl may be the best of them again, but don’t be surprised if Espiona and Startantes are improved after what were their first campaign starts in the Sheraco.

#11 Meg, #13 Katalin, and #16 Riduna could have chances down in the weights, but after her Tramway effort I’m going with Nimalee.

• $10 win/$30 show: #1 Nimalee

Race 8, 2:05 a.m. Saturday: The Golden Rose (G1), 1,400 meters (about 7 furlongs), 3-year-olds

Now one of the key races for spring three-year-olds, the Golden Rose is often a stallion-making race, with winners including Denman, Zoustar, Astern, The Autumn Sun, and Bivouac. This year, however, the favorite is likely to be a filly.

#16 In Secret has shown sharp improvement throughout her career, winning twice as a juvenile, resuming with an unlucky second to subsequent Tea Rose (G2) winner Zougotcha in the Silver Shadow, and then beating home Best of Bordeaux in the Run to the Rose (G2) Sept. 10. With a nice draw of barrier three and James McDonald to guide her, she’s going to be hard to beat.

Much will depend on whether last season’s two best juveniles, #14 Fireburn and #15 She’s Extreme, can get back to their two-year-old form. Both have raced just once this season, Fireburn finishing fifth in the Run to the Rose when 2.5kg worse off at the weights with In Secret than she is here, and She’s Extreme third in the Furious (G2).

The best of the colts and geldings look to be the favorite’s stablemate #7 Golden Mile, an easy winner of the Ming Dynasty (G3) Sept. 10 over #10 Basquiat, and the Melbourne visitor #3 Jacquinot, who came from well back to win the McNeil (G3) at Caulfield Aug. 27. Jacquinot last season finished third in the Blue Diamond (G1) and sixth in the Golden Slipper, so he has a good deal of class.

In Secret deserves to be favorite, but whether likely odds of less than 2-1 are worth taking in a good field is questionable, so I’m going to try to beat her with Jacquinot.

• $10 win/$20 show: #3 Jacquinot
• $1 quinella: 3, 16 with 3, 7, 10, 14, 15, 16

Race 9, 2:45 a.m. Saturday: Shannon Stakes (G2), 1,500 meters (about 7 1/2 furlongs), 3-year-olds and up

An interesting lead-up to next week’s Epsom (G1). Many punters are expecting an improved effort from #2 Ellsberg, who faded to finish sixth when resuming in the Theo Marks (G3) Sept. 10. This is definitely not as strong as that field, with a number of runners resuming and being aimed toward staying races, and he isn’t badly weighted.

#8 Atishu was seventh in the Theo Marks and has run consistently since arriving in Sydney last year. She can improve on her first-up effort as well.

An interesting runner here is the New Zealander #4 Pinarello, winner of the Queensland Derby (G1). This is probably too short for him, but he does have class and he may be ready for a bold run at his first start this season.

• $10 win/$30 show: #8 Atishu