A start in the Group 1 $1m Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill on Saturday for last weekend’s Randwick winner Panzer Division is only a 50 – 50 chance according to Arrowfield Stud boss John Messara.
Panzer Division is a 50-50 chance of running in the Golden Rose Stakes. Photo by Steve Hart.
Panzer Division, trained by Messara’s son Paul, moved up the Golden Rose Stakes market order after a convincing win in the Group 3 $125,000 Ming Dynasty Quality Handicap (1400m) at Randwick last Saturday.
The Redoute’s Choice colt handled the heavy track conditions well to score a comfortable one and a quarter lengths victory over Shooting To Win and Lady Sharapova but Paul Messara said after the win that he would wait until the dust settles before confirming a start in the in the first Group 1 of the Sydney Spring Carnival.
“The form from two weeks ago has obviously held up here, so we’re just going to have to wait and see – we’ll let the dust settle and go from there,” Paul Messara said.
Principle owner John Messara will leave the decision up to Paul if he thinks that Panzer Division will cope with a seven day back in top company.
“Difficult to say at the moment,” John Messara told Racing Network.
“Paul will assess the horse in the next two or three days and see how he pulls up.
“He seems to feel that he might not be a horse who would back up so early in his career. It’s a 50 – 50 chance.”
If Panzer Division gets the go ahead to back up on Saturday, Arrowfield Stud will have two top chances in the Golden Rose Stakes with last start winner Scissor Kick already set to take his place in the field.
Scissor Kick and Panzer Division proved that there is nothing between them after they crossed the line locked together in the Group 3 $125,000 Synergy FX Up and Coming Stakes (1300m) at Randwick on August 23.
After a lengthy delay and heavy scrutinizing from the stewards panel, the judge awarded the race to Scissor Kick over his stablemate Panzer Division by the smallest possible margin.
Last Saturday’s win was Panzer Division’s second from three starts after he scored a three and a half lengths win on debut in a 1200m Kembla Grange maiden on July 19.
In the latest market order for the Golden Rose Stakes with Ladbroles.com.au Panzer Division and Scissor Kick are both rated $13 chances along with Godolphin’s Kumaon.
The Peter Moody trained Bring Me The Maid heads the betting at $4.40 just ahead of Bart and James Cummings’ Run To The Rose winner Hallowed Crown at $4.80.
Moody will also saddle up Better Land who shares the next line of betting at $9 with the Nostradamus from the Team Hawkes stables while Almalad and Washington Heights are both marked at $11.
