With the changing of the guard in the sprinting ranks this year, the field for Everest would benefit, perhaps more than any other year, with the presence of a promising 3-year-old.
There is a lot of interest in Saturday’s Kia Golden Rose at Rosehill Gardens, where ten colts, one gelding, and one filly face off for the $580,000 winner’s cheque.
Golden Slipper hero Shinzo is the centre of intention. The son of Snitzel and Samaready makes his seasonal debut over 1400m, and Chris Waller will assuredly have the Coolmore blueblood spot on.
The lone gelding, Encap, has just one win from five starts and has been operating in a division below some of his main rivals.
But the son of Capitalist has hit the board in all five starts and has endured some wretched luck. When everything fell into place at his most recent start in the Group III Ming Dynasty Quality over the Golden Rose course and distance, Encap put the race to bed like a true professional.
The Golden Rose was run as the Peter Pan Stakes before the win of Paratroopers in 2005, and Encap’s seventh dam, Constant Hope, is a daughter of the great champion Peter Pan - not about to let that segue go.
A $200,000 purchase for his trainer from the Newhaven Park Stud draft at the 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Sale, Encap is the third winner from as many to race from the Jason McLachlan-trained Group III BRC Vo Rogue Plate winner Enquare (Stratum).
Sporting the silks of David Moodie’s Contract Racing, Enquare was stakes-placed for Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra later in her career.
At a Hesket Bloodstock Reduction Sale at the Magic Millions in 2020, Enquare was a $90,000 purchase for Mark Sowerby’s Emmanuel Bloodstock from the Amarina Farm draft when carrying Encap.
If anyone has earned the right to puff the chest out, it would be Australian Bloodstock’s Darren and Liz Dance, who bred and raced Enquare’s dam Skewiff, a daughter of their Group 1VRC Newmarket Handicap and Group 1 VATC Oakleigh Plate hero Mookta (Jugah).
While Enquare needed five wins and six places from 25 starts to bank $440,750, Skewiff graced the track 45 times with 12 wins and 11 places with earnings of $512,230.
The Group III VRC Jayco Stakes and Group III VRC Schweppes Stakes highlighted her four stakes wins. She was beaten a neck when third in the Group 1 Emirates Stakes behind Sky Cuddle and a close-up fourth to Miss Potential, Alinghi and Infinite Grace in the Group 1 VRC Empire Rose Stakes.
Skwwiff’s dam Centrullah (Century) is out of a half-sister to the top-class juvenile, Canterbury Stakes winner I’m Scarlet (Bluescope), Villiers Stakes winner Tumberlua (Bluescope), and Flemington stakes winner Big Scope (Bluescope).
Newhaven Park offered a brother to Encap at Easter this year. He fell short of making his $200,000 reserve. Named Prime Broker, he is housed at Tulloch Lodge with Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.
Not served in 2020, Enquare visited Xtravagant last spring. Xtravagant has a Golden Rose hopeful in the underrated Nadal, so there is plenty for Newhave to look forward to.
Capitalist is searching for his second top-level winner after Captivant captured the ATC Champagne Stakes. Trained by Peter and Paul Snowden, Captivant was disappointing in the 2021 Golden Rose behind In The Congo and Anamoe before redeeming himself at his next start when a half-length second to Anamoe in the Caulfield Guineas.
