Champion two-year-old Guelph looks to have returned for her three-year-old preparation in excellent condition after recording a strong barrier trial victory over 900 meters at Rosehill Gardens this morning.
Guelph is just over a fortnight away from her return to the races in the Furious Stakes on September 7. Photo by: Steve Hart
The two-time Group 1 winner was ridden at the tail of the field by jockey Kerrin McEvoy but made up a great deal of ground on the inside late to score a narrow victory from Charlie Boy and Rutherglen in a time of 54.3 seconds.
Guelph was making her first public appearance since she finished her sensational juvenile campaign with a win in the Group 1 Champagne Stakes (1600m) at Royal Randwick in May.
The daughter of Exceed And Excel also recorded wins in the Group 1 Sires Produce Stakes (1400m), upsetting Overreach who beat her in the Golden Slipper (1200m), the Group 3 Blue Diamond Prelude (1100m) and the Myboycharlie at Vinery Plate (1000m) with her only poor performance coming in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) where she finished ninth behind undefeated filly Miracles Of Life.
Guelph is set to kick-off her 2013 Spring Racing Carnival campaign in the Group 2 Furious Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on September 7 before contesting the Group 2 Tea Rose Stakes (1400m) a fortnight later and the Group 1 Flight Stakes (1600m) on October 5.
The Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield on October 16 is the major spring goal for Guelph, although recent history is against her as no filly has won the Thousand Guineas after winning the Champagne Stakes since Just Topic in 1973.
Chris Waller-trained Zoustar finished fourth in the same trial and is expected to begin his spring campaign in the next fortnight.
The son of Northern Meteor impressed during the 2013 Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival, recording a comfortable victory in the Group 2 BRC Sires Produce Stakes (1350m) and finished a brave second behind Romantic Touch in the Group 1 J.J. Atkins (1600m).
The Caulfield Guineas (1600m) will be the spring target for Zoustar but he was also included in the nominations for the Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m).
