Promising colt Dio D’Oro has drawn the outside barrier in the final nine horse field for the 2018 Group 3 $150,000 Singapore Airlines San Domenico Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill on Saturday.

Performer, above, will resume for the 2018 Spring Carnival in the San Domenico Stakes at Rosehill. Photo by Steve Hart.

Performer, above, will resume for the 2018 Spring Carnival in the San Domenico Stakes at Rosehill. Photo by Steve Hart.

Dio D’Oro was the winner of his last three starts at the end of his two year old season with two wins at Randwick before dead heating for first with Toulouse in a 1400m two year old Handicap at Rosehill on June 30 with apprentice Jean Van Overmeire in the saddle.

Rachel King was aboard the Medaglio D’Oro colt for his two Randwick wins and trainer Gary Portelli has called on her services again for the San Domenico Stakes.

All of Dio D’Oro’s three wins have been on rain affected tracks and Poretlli was hoping to test the colt on top of the ground this week but it looks like another wet track with showers predicted for Sydney for the weekend.

“He was a nice two-year-old on wet tracks and I’m keen to see if he can convert that as a three-year-old on dry tracks,” Portelli told AAP.

“But it does look as if we are going to get a bit of rain late in the week.”

The Chris Waller trained Performer has also drawn awkwardly at barrier eight with Hugh Bowman in the saddle.

Performer showed plenty of potential as a two year old with wins at his first two race starts before getting barred after dumping Bowman in straight when favourite for the Group 2 $300,000 UNSW Todman Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on March 10.

The Exceed And Excel colt was reinstated to race and then finished fourteenth to Estijaab in the Group 1 $3.5m Longines Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill on March 24.

Performer has overcome his waywardness and heads into the San Domenico Stakes on the back of a win in a 900m Rosehill barrier trial on August 7.

Undefeated colt Graff is resuming with the blinkers on in the San Domenico Stakes for new jockey Jason Collett and will get every chance to keep his winning record intact from barrier one.

The James Cummings trained Plague Stone will get his chance to make amends for the punters after finishing fourth as favourite last start in the Listed $150,000 Smithfield RSL Club Rosebud (1100m) at Rosehill on August 11 and will jump from barrier five with Glyn Schofield taking over the reins from Hugh Bowman.

Final field for the 2018 San Domenico Stakes (1100m)

No Last 10 Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight Hcp Rating
1 1x1L0x PERFORMER Chris Waller Hugh Bowman 8 57kg 83
2 323x81x PAQUIRRI Gary Moore Andrew Adkins 7 57kg 81
3 110x JONKER David Atkins Corey Brown 2 56kg 78
4 243×111 DIO D’ORO Gary Portelli Ms Rachel King 9 55kg 80
5 2x205x14 PLAGUE STONE James Cummings Glyn Schofield 5 55kg 77
6 11x GRAFF Kris Lees Jason Collett 1 55kg 74
7 5310x TCHAIKOVSKY Peter & Paul Snowden 4 55kg 71
8 1x4x NEUTRALITY Peter & Paul Snowden 3 55kg 68
9 1860×5 RINGERDINGDING Edward O’Rourke Tim Clark 6 55kg 67

About The Author

Mark Mazzaglia

Mark is a passionate journalist with a life-time involvement in the racing industry. He spent many years as an analyst and form expert at the Courier Mail and also has hands-on experience working with some of Queensland’s top trainers.