With autumn in the sights, the biggest two-year-old field in Sydney this season, and second biggest nationally, has accepted at Rosehill on Saturday with some very interesting runners obviously with high hopes.
The season so far has seen regularly small juvenile fields, and the occasional race deletion due to lack of numbers, but a field of 17 was declared on Saturday, including three emergencies, which will see a field of 14, depending on scratchings take to the barriers.
The biggest juvenile field we’ve seen nationally so far this season was last weekend’s Magic Millions 2YO Classic and prior to that there were only six races with fields larger than 10 runners, all of which were big money races, either sales restricted like the $1million Inglis Golden Gift, or stakes races.
The numbers at barrier trials in recent weeks has seen a noticeable increase in numbers though so the two year-old scene is set to get very interesting in coming weeks as promising unraced horses are set loose.
Saturday’s Ned Australian Whiskey Hcp (1100m) is a perfect example with ruling favourite the unraced colt Switzerland (Snitzel x Ms Bad Behaviour), a $1.5million buy for Coolmore’s Tom Magnier from Arrowfield Stud at Inglis Easter.
Trained by Chris Waller, he’s the second emergency so will need two scratchings to get a start.
Some of the other unraced holding plenty of interest include;
Caravanserai (Blue Point x Essaouira), the half-brother to Group One winners Alizee and Astern for James Cummings and Godolphin.
The well fancied Fully Lit (Hellbent x Sunlit), a $60,000 yearling buy for Redfox Racing from Glenlogan Park at Inglis Classic, trained by the Waterhouse/Bott team.
And the Annabelle Neasham pair of Deputize (Dubious x Thisisus), a $500,000 buy for Justin Fung, Aquis Stallions Pty Ltd and Annabel Neasham Racing from Noralla Stud at Magic Millions, and Busustow (Blue Point x Bumbasina), a $900,000 buy for Rosemont Alliance, Suman Hedge Bloodstock and Annabel Neasham Racing from Segenhoe Stud, also at Magic Millions Gold Coast.
Promising raced youngsters with autumn aspirations include Customized (Capitalist x Single Sapphire), coming off a debut third in the Gr3 McLachlan Stakes behind Storm Boy, and King Of Roseau (Capitalist x Single Sapphire), coming off a debut win at Canberra after a couple of impressive trials. Both in the Peter and Paul Snowden stable.
