Spring Trial Watch – Rosehill

Tara Madgwick - Tuesday August 22

Interesting set of trials at Rosehill on Tuesday morning with Everest contenders Nature Strip, Overpass and Mazu in action as well as a couple of elite colts that will be looking to put a G1 win on the CV this season.

Nature Strip was always under a hold and looked great in winning his heat from Overpass with three year-old I Am Invincible colt King’s Gambit right in the mix to finish third against the big boys with Mazu fourth.

Advertisement

It was the first trial back for the Peter and Paul Snowden trained King’s Gambit, who finished his juvenile season with a third in the Golden Slipper. He was ridden quietly by Sam Clipperton and got a little strong at one point, but then relaxed and went to the line well between horses.

He hasn’t won since last spring, but has shown glimpses of real brilliance in his four starts to date and if he takes giant strides this spring nobody will be surprised.

Another colt that raced well last season was Don Corleone, who had Group I placings in the Blue Diamond and Sires Produce Stakes before finding 1600m too far when sixth in the Group I Champagne Stakes.

The Peter and Paul Snowden trained son of Extreme Choice was having his second trial back against some pretty solid older staying types and was too nippy leading all the way to win by a length.

Pedigree would suggest shorter trips will suit him best and while he hasn’t won a stakes race yet that could easily change when he goes to the Group II ATC Run to the Rose (1200m) in two weeks time which is his likely first target race.

Another of the Snowden trained nice colts from last season was Snapback and while the Snitzel colt is still a maiden, he was second in the Group II BRC Sires Produce and fifth in the Group I BRC JJ Atkins.

This was his first trial back since then and he worked to the line strongly to win by half a length for James McDonald.

Snapback is also bred for speed with nothing on the page to suggest he’d go very far past 1400m.

Click here to see all the trial results at Breednet with Sale Mail and at Racing NSW with video.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Career Best Victory for Wentwood Grange Favourite Yearling
Dean Hawkins admits to shedding a tear or two when With Your Blessing was sold as a yearling.
Breednet Follow the Official Sydney 2YO Trials - 7 – 9
All 2YO heats this morning run at Randwick over 850m with these trials the key factor in deciding fields for the Group III ATC Breeders Plate and Gimcrack Stakes in two weeks time.
Pedigree Potential –NZB Ready to Run – Nicks that Click
A quality packed catalogue for the 2025 NZB Ready to Run Sale is now online and in the lead up to the sale we’ll go looking each week for some horses of interest that jump out on pedigree for various reasons.
Written Tycoon Filly Bursts into NZ 1000 Guineas Contention
The Gr.3 Sunline Vase (1400m) was expected to be the weekend’s key pointer for the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m), but a spectacular performance on the Ellerslie undercard had its own impact on fixed-odds betting for the Christchurch classic.
Tara Talks Racing - Trials and Racing
This week we’re talking trials after an insightful set of official 2YO trials in Sydney, plus some racing and how Fangirl will eventually go to stud with two Group I wins less on her resume than there should be.
Breednet Follow the Official Sydney 2YO Trials - 4-6
All 2YO heats this morning run at Randwick over 850m with these trials the key factor in deciding fields for the Group III ATC Breeders Plate and Gimcrack Stakes in two weeks time.
Kiwi Cup Contender Headed to Australia
Melbourne Cup aspirant Trav secured his plane ticket across the Tasman with a pleasing performance over 2100m at Ellerslie on Saturday.
French G3 Winner for Zoustar
The Group III Prix des Chenes (1600m) at Chantilly in France overnight produced a new stakes-winner for reigning champion Australian sire Zoustar with talented two year-old Oceans Four claiming his first Black Type win.
One to Watch – Warrnambool
So You Think is the first sire to hit 40 winners for the season and he did it with a three year-old filly that won easily on debut at Warrnambool on Monday in the Kia Ora Stud colours.
Keeneland September Concludes with Record $531.5 Million in Sales
The 2025 Keeneland September Yearling Sale closed Saturday having achieved a defining industry milestone. Over 12 sessions, the sale rewrote records by selling 3,070 horses for a total of $531.5 million: the highest gross ever realized at a Thoroughbred auction worldwide. Historic highlights included 56 yearlings bringing seven figures, besting the previous record of 40 set in 2005 and led by a $3