An exhibition gallop at Randwick has the unbeaten colt St Gotthard on track for his initial start in the Run To The Rose, where he is poised to compete against three talented stablemates.
The Group 2 winner was among three colts from the Chris Waller stable to have solo exhibition gallops at Randwick on Saturday, accompanied by Fireball and Tron Bolt. All are being prepared for the Golden Rose lead-up at Rosehill next Saturday, with Central Europe, a Rosebud placegetter, also anticipated to join them in the sprint.
Tron Bolt clocked the fastest time of the three workers at Randwick, covering the 1000m in 1:07.93 and running home his final 600m in 38.07 seconds. Waller stated that while he would prefer the three-year-olds didn’t have to clash, they were all talented and chasing Group One wins for their resumes.
“They are lovely colts and all on the same path. They’ve got to try and win Group Ones in the spring,” Waller said. “Most likely, they start at Rosehill in the Run To The Rose. It is an important starting point for our three. It is unavoidable (they clash).”
Looking ahead to potential targets, Waller added, “The Golden Rose, Coolmore (Stud Stakes), big sprints, Caulfield Guineas and obviously big feature races in Sydney are in the plans.”
St Gotthard and Central Europe are raced by similar ownership groups, including Coolmore, and both colts have stallion-worthy pedigrees. Waller mentioned it was regrettable they were on an early spring collision course but confirmed the Run To The Rose (1200m) was the right race for each. He believes Central Europe requires another run before the Golden Rose (1400m) on September 26.
“I would have liked to have split him and St Gotthard up with similar ownership,” Waller commented. “But I think Central Europe needs another sprint race before he gets out to 1400 metres.”
The Run To The Rose is one of four black-type races at Rosehill on Saturday, alongside the Theo Marks Stakes (1300m), Sheraco Stakes (1200m), and the Ming Dynasty Quality (1400m).
The upcoming Run To The Rose is shaping up to be a key race, with many checking the online bookmakers for the latest betting markets for the race.
