Exciting colt Rosberg will get a valuable look down the Flemington straight ahead of his next major assignments this spring.
The Clinton McDonald-trained youngster burst onto the scene with his Listed McKenzie Stakes (1200m) triumph at Moonee Valley and is now being aimed at the Group 2 Danehill Stakes (1100m) on October 4 before the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) on November 1.
Jump-outs for three-year-olds targeting the Coolmore are usually held later in October, but the Victoria Racing Club opted to bring them forward to coincide with Thursday’s two-year-old trials. “There was feedback, not just from outside trainers, but from internal trainers as well, who felt the trial would be better this week,” VRC racing boss Leigh Jordan explained.
McDonald said the experience was crucial. “It will be good for the horse and the punters to see him down the straight before he goes there. It’s important, not just for him, but every horse,” he said. “It’s big prize money on offer and there is a lot of money invested on the punt.”
Rosberg was also given a searching gallop at Caulfield last week. “He doesn’t leave anything in the feed bin and carries plenty of condition, so we need to keep him up to the mark. The more we do with him, especially being so laid-back, the more he’ll learn,” McDonald said. “He’s a little behind in experience compared to some rivals, so we’ve got to catch him up.”
Despite holding entries for the Golden Rose and Caulfield Guineas, McDonald confirmed Rosberg will stick to the Danehill–Coolmore path. “He was probably one run too short for those, so we’ll just stick with the plan we’ve got,” he said.
