It’s Tancred Stakes Day from Rosehill and the Wizard of Odds is ready to fire away ahead of a huge day of racing in Sydney.
A Cox Plate winner looks ready to return to his best and the Vinery Stud Stakes also looks a fantastic betting race.
Let’s make it an Easter weekend to remember!
Rosehill Race 1 - SCHWEPPERVESCENCE
#3 Converge
Resumed in the Pago Pago Stakes last start and did an awesome job to hang on for fifth after being put to the slaughter.
After drawing barrier nine, jockey Tim Clark jumped away evenly with Converge but scurried towards the front and was out deep with no cover and pressed on towards the lead.
He bounded to the front at the 300-metre mark after having a tough time of it and was still there in the finish.
He managed to only be beaten by just over a length and now, with that run under his belt, he can give this a big sight with a map that sees him leading or sitting outside the lead of a much softer tempo.
A lovely each-way play to start the day.
Suggested Bet: Converge each-way at $7 the win and $2.40 the place
Suggested Exotic: Quinella 2 & 3
Rosehill race 2 - Neville Sellwood Stakes
#1 master of wine
Master of Wine could possibly be the best placed horse in the country on Saturday.
After running a respectable sixth in the Ranvet Stakes last weekend, the Michael, John & Wayne Hawkes-trained gelding backs up in this set weights event.
With a 106 handicap rating, he meets this field with only 55.5kgs and two kilos away from the bottom weight Joigny who won a lowly midweek Randwic-Kensington race.
Kerrin McEvoy takes the ride and from barrier four the pair should enjoy the run of the race and be far too good for this lot.
He is a genuine Group 1 horse who has lengths on them.
Suggested Bet: Master of Wine win at $2.4
Suggested Exotic: Trifecta – 1/ 2/ 3
Rosehill race 3 - Tulloch Stakes
#4 Yaletown
Yaletown looks poised to run the race of his career after two nice efforts to get him ready for the Tulloch Stakes.
His first-up run at Canberra when lugging around 60kgs was that of a horse who clearly wants the rolling tempo of any distance from a mile and beyond.
He had to take his medicine last start and sit outside the lead in the 1500-metre Phar Lap Stakes at this track a fortnight and did a nice job to stick on for fourth.
Tim Clark will be aiming to do here with what he does on Converge in the first: find the front and get all the fast finishing horses chasing from a long way out.
Suggested Bet: Yaletown each-way at $7 the win and $2.10 the place
Rosehill race 4 - emancipation stakes
#2 greysful glamour
Forget she ever raced in the All-Star Mile when copping a bogged track at Moonee Valley which she absolutely resents.
Even the run prior at Flemington was a complete forgive when she had her ears scrubbed off to settle on a hot lead speed when first-up over 1400 metres.
This race at Randwick over 1500 metres will see her improve vastly as she will be able to get control of the lead on a dry track without having to waste too much energy.
James McDonald takes the ride which is always a big tick and we can back her each-way to give us a good sight for a long way up the straight… hopefully all the way up straight!
Suggested Bet: Greysful Glamour each-way at $10 the win and $2.9 the place.
Rosehill race 5 - star kingdom stakes
#6 California Zimbol
California Zimbol gets her chance to run a very strong 1200 metre race for the first time in her career after a fantastic first-up win at Rosehill last start.
She raced over the 1100 metres and sprinted sharply to a narrow victory over Easy Eddie.
Her second-up record is irrefutable having won three times from four second-up attempts in the past.
Interestingly, Kerrin McEvoy hops off her to take the ride on Pandemic but Mark Zahra, who had ridden the mare to victory in the past, takes the ride.
Suggested Bet: California Zimbol win at $4
Suggested Exotic: – Trifecta 6/ 10, 11/ 3, 7, 10, 11
Rosehill race 6 - Vinery Stud Stakes
#3 Hungry Heart
Hungry Heart finally broke through for her second career victory last start after taking out the Group 2 Phar Lap Stakes at Rosehill.
That could be the victory that catapults her racing career and she again gets the dry track she needs with a fine day forecast for Sydney on Saturday.
She draws gate five, as she did last start, and while she settled out the tail of the field in the Phar Lap Stakes we expect her to settle closer to midfield than out the back.
As one of five fillies in the field to have last start wins to their names, she brings in the best form line of the last start winning fillies.
Suggested Bet: Hungry Heart each-way at $5 the win and $2 the place.
Rosehill Race 7 - Tancred Stakes
#1 Sir Dragonet
He has been building towards a big run after his first-up failure on a dry deck at Caulfield in the CF Orr (1400m) after being very heavily backed.
He then had a little freshen up and went straight into the All-Star Mile on a soft track and despite being beaten a fair way he did show a bit of improvement.
It was his run in the Ranvet Stakes last start which suggests he is somewhere near the form that saw him bolt in the 2020 Cox Plate.
He looks as though the step-up to 2400 metres will suit him perfectly and his regular jockey Glen Boss retains the ride.
Should get a nice suck run on the rails and hopefully he can let down with the devastating sustained sprint he showed in the Cox Plate last year.
Suggested Bet: Sir Dragonet win at $5
Suggested Exotic: Trifecta – 1, 6, 9/ 1, 6, 9, 13/ 1, 2, 6, 9, 13
Rosehill Race 8 - The Doncaster Prelude
#4 Rock
Rock gets the perfect set-up here to keep his undefeated second-up record intact.
The Michael, John and Wayne Hawkes-trained five-year-old gelding has three second-up career runs for three wins and looks set to make it four from four with Brenton ‘The Gun’ Avdulla booked for the ride.
His run first-up over this exact course and distance was full of merit after settling in the rear half of the field and finishing strongly to run third beaten just under a length by I Am Superman.
With the likely speed battle to ensue between Buffalo River and Yao Dash, the speed of the race should allow Rock to be the late closer with a big finishing burst.
Best of the day at Rosehill.
Suggested Bet: Rock win at $5
