The plight of two-year-old Group I winners returning as spring three-year-olds against their own age could see Invader take an unorthodox path towards this year’s Group I Golden Rose (1400m).
The Peter and Paul Snowden-trained colt won the Group I Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m) during the Championships, meaning he will be in receipt of a 4kg penalty in the traditional Golden Rose lead-up races.
As these races have a base weight of 56kg, juvenile Group I winners are asked to shoulder at least 60kg, as opposed to the set weights conditions of the Golden Rose.
Many gallopers in the same bracket as Invader, including former Snowden colts Capitalist and Pride Of Dubai, failed as three-year-olds. Whilst the added weight cannot be entirely attributed to their respective defeats, it was a factor nonetheless.
Paul Snowden said the Group III Show County Quality (1200m), run in open company at Randwick on August 19, has been earmarked as a potential starting point for Invader.
"He pays the penalty for winning that Group I and would carry a lot of weight against his own age so we might have to race against older horses just to give him some weight relief because he's only a small horse," Snowden told Sky Sports Radio.
"But he's a quality horse and is obviously a Group I winner already. I think he can take the next step that's for sure and compete at a really high level."
Invader was one of three Snowden-trained horses that worked on the Canterbury course proper on Tuesday morning – the others being Group II Missile Stakes (1200m) entries Tycoon Tara and That's A Good Idea.
Invader is a $15 chance in Sportsbet's early market on the Golden Rose, scheduled for September 23 at Rosehill.
