Golden Slipper winner Vancouver will head to the Group 1 $1m De Bortoli Wines Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill on September 12 without another lead up run.
Vancouver will go into the Golden Rose Stakes at Rosehill without another lead up run. Photo by Steve Hart.
Trainer Gai Waterhouse will instead trial Vancouver at Rosehill on Tuesday week and follow a similar preparation she used before the Medaglia D’Oro colt won the Group 2 $300,000 UNSW Todman Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on March 7.
Vancouver then went on to score a sensational win in the Group 1 $3.5m Tooheys New Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill two weeks later.
“His Golden Slipper win was gutsy because he was three wide and toughed it out. But his Todman Stakes victory was simply breathtaking,” Waterhouse told The Daily Telegraph.
“All the form gurus labelled it the best two-year-old performance of the season and some said the best they had seen.
“Don’t forget he did that coming off a five week break with a trial in between.”
“I’ll trial him on Tuesday week and go from there.”
Vancouver suffered a shock first up defeat at his first run back after his Golden Slipper Stakes win when he was beaten for the first time in five starts just over two lengths when fourth to the Chris Waller trained Japonisme in the Group 3 $125,000 Smithfield RSL Club San Domenico Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill on August 15.
But Waterhouse and jockey Tommy Berry are very confident that the star of the two year old season will bounce back in the Golden Rose Stakes.
Berry was very excited about the future prospects of Vancouver after he completed a slashing trackwork session on Saturday morning.
Vancouver worked alongside stablemate and Group 1 winner Amanpour over 1200m on the Randwick course proper and able to cruise past the mare at the end of the gallop, clocking 10.9s for the final 200m and Berry is looking forward to the colt redeeming himself in the Golden Rose Stakes.
“That run the other day has brought him right on,” Berry said.
“It’s just a matter of keeping him ticking over now and you’ll see the real Vancouver on Golden Rose day.”
“I’m very confident this bloke can get the job done if things pan out.
“But as always you need luck in running or perhaps with horses like him, you don’t want any bad luck is a better way of putting it.”
Vancouver still remains at the top of the market order with Ladbrokes.com.au for the Golden Rose Stakes at $3 ahead of the Chris Waller pair of Japonisme at $6 and two year old Group 1 winner Press Statement at $10.
