Sydney’s leading lady of racing Gai Waterhouse has confirmed 2019 Golden Rose Stakes ambitions for the stable’s progressive colt Dawn Passage after his class win fresh in the Listed $140,000 The Rosebud (1100m).
The Rosebud winning colt Dawn Passage targets the 2019 Golden Rose Stakes this spring. Photo: Steve Hart.
Improving from second last in the run, the son of Dawn Approach savaged the line late making up all the ground in the sprint feature at Rosehill Gardens to bring his career record up to two wins from three starts.
Dawn Passage continued to frank the form out of February’s $2 million Inglis Millennium (1200m) at Warwick Farm, won by Richard Litt’s subsequent Group 1 Champagne Stakes (1600m) winning Dundeel colt Castelvecchio.
Castelvecchio leads current all-in markets at Ladbrokes.com.au for the Group 1 $1 million Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill on September 28.
Dawn Passage is also in the top-half of Golden Rose futures betting firming in from $15 to $13 after his perfectly-timed The Rosebud victory over the Bjorn Baker-trained Redoute’s Choice filly Let It Pour.
“[Let It Pour] ran terrific,” Brenton Avdulla, aboard the eye-catching runner-up, said.
“She’s still learning her craft so to be going to the line with those sets her up well into the future.”
Chris Waller saddled-up the narrow favourite in The Rosebud markets, grey I Am Invincible filly Lucicello, who was far from disgraced settling last in the fast-paced race before improving to run third.
“[It was a] massive rise in class and her performance shows she’s up to it,” Lucicello’s jockey Tommy Berry said.
“The winner just sprinted quicker than us on the day.”
The winning hoop Tim Clark was not convinced Dawn Passage would be a top-level three-year-old until the impressive The Rosebud win.
“All his racing he’s settled back a bit,” Clark said.
“He’s obviously a very talented colt.
“I loved the way he really pinged his ears back late and savaged the line.”
Waterhouse described the win by Dawn Passage, who was wearing the blinkers for the first time, as “outstanding” despite the colt failing to settle closer in the run.
“He’s an outstanding colt,” she said.
“To do what he did today and have to make up the lengths he did.
“I thought it was an outstanding effort.
“You’ll see improvement as he gets over further.
“You’ll be seeing plenty of him.
“It’s exactly the right stepping stone for the Golden Rose.”
