Peter Snowden is expressing dissatisfaction with the recent barrier draws and will be keeping a close watch on scratchings before confirming his runners for Rosehill.

Mares Sunrays (barrier 10), Tuileries (12), and Miss Freelove (17) all received wide gates for Saturday’s The Nivison (1200m). His other stakes runner, the three-year-old colt The Machine Gun, drew the widest position in the 14-horse Roman Consul Stakes (1200m) field.

While Tuileries and Sunrays are confirmed starters, Snowden intends to wait until race morning to decide if Miss Freelove will participate.

“Sometimes you get a massive amount of scratchings, and seventeen becomes ten or eleven,” Snowden stated. “I’ll see what happens Saturday morning. I would like to run her because timing-wise, it’s ideal.”

Sunrays, who transferred from Kelly Schweida’s Brisbane stable, is making her debut for Snowden. Although she has not raced since finishing unplaced in the Gold Coast Guineas (1200m) in May, she typically performs well when first-up.

Tuileries also possesses a competitive record when resuming and won the Dark Jewel Classic (1400m) at Scone fresh, carrying a substantial weight from a wide barrier.

Snowden indicated that Tuileries is in peak condition for Saturday’s race and expressed hope that she can secure an invitation to The Invitation (1400m) at Randwick on October 24.

“She’s had two trials and she’s ready to go,” Snowden affirmed. “She’s a top-class filly. She’s rated 107 now for a reason. Her form is very good. She’s had a freshen up in Brisbane and come back with these races in mind. We’d love to get an invitation to that fillies race after Saturday.”

Similar to Miss Freelove, Snowden is adopting a cautious approach with The Machine Gun. With three early scratchings already in the Roman Consul Stakes, his prospects of starting might improve.

Having won both of his starts, The Machine Gun is a contender for the Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington later this month, and Snowden is keen to assess his capabilities against Saturday’s field.

“We wanted to go around on Saturday to see if he was good enough to run in the Coolmore,” he said. “It’s a really good, testing race to see where you are in the pecking order. There could be some scratchings. The favourites might wipe a few out. If he came into eight or nine we might run.”

The alternative option is a benchmark race at Rosehill on Wednesday, and Snowden is eager to get the Listed winner back to the track.

“We’ve just got to get him running for the races we’ve got in mind,” he explained. “He doesn’t excite you of a morning at trackwork, but his race performances have been very good.”

For those keen on the Roman Consul Stakes, exploring the available racing betting markets could be worthwhile.