The participation of Gary Portelli’s horses at Rosehill this Saturday is uncertain, with the trainer indicating a significant number of his team may be withdrawn if the track deteriorates due to forecast rain.
Portelli has entered six runners for the day, including the promising three-year-old filly Performance. She is slated for the Kia Ora Bloodlines to Headlines Handicap (1100m), but will only run if the track remains a soft 5 or improves. Mother Goose, another runner, faces potential withdrawal from the Midway Handicap (1300m) due to her wide barrier draw, unless there are substantial scratchings.
“Performance, Miss Hades and Flying Trapeze could quite easily come out if the rain hits that they’re forecasting. And Mother Goose (due to the gate),” Portelli said. “So I might be left with two runners. It’s all down to the weather.”
Should Performance encounter favourable conditions, Portelli is confident in her first-up chances. She previously finished second to Mareth, a future Group placegetter, at Canterbury and then achieved a solid win at Randwick. Her recent trial performances have been sharp, and Portelli believes the filly has significantly improved and gained strength since her initial racing campaign.
“If this weather doesn’t hit, she is a nice chance first-up,” he remarked. “I’ve always had a lot of time for her. She had a few growing pains, so we’ve had to wait until she has been ready to handle some solid work. But she’s a big, strong, filly. Beautiful filly.”
Godolphin’s mare Thames could emerge as a surprise contender in the Midway Handicap, having had legitimate reasons for her recent subpar efforts, including a heavy 9 track at Rosehill and a race tempo that did not suit her last start. Portelli commented, “Thames’ run last start on the Kenso was enormous. She got back, wide, took off around the whole field because the tempo slackened and got pulling. Back to 1200 at Rosehill, I think she will run well, particularly if the track isn’t as heavy as when she failed there. She is a nice mare.”
Portelli is optimistic that all his horses can perform well on Saturday, provided the track conditions are suitable. “Miss Hades always runs well first-up. She needs it dry as well. She’s not adept on soft to heavy ground,” he stated. “So Rebellious, he’s a nice 2000-metre three-year-old by Rebel Dane resuming, and Flying Trapeze is coming back from a rig operation. He ran really well first-up in a very strong benchmark race at Canterbury, a track that doesn’t suit him. He could sprint well but again, we need a dry track for him.”
Betting sites provide a wide range of racing betting markets for Saturday’s action.