Champion galloper Anamoe trials impressively ahead of race return

Godolphin superstar Anamoe indicated he is ready to go back to the races after a brilliant barrier trial effort at Rosehill Gardens on Friday.

Anamoe, ridden by regular jockey James McDonald, showed good early speed in his 1000m trial, settling second about two lengths behind North Star Lass before closing to within a nose of the smart filly on the line.

McDonald didn’t give Anamoe any extra rein from the turn but the champion four-year-old was keen to chase and as North Star Lass was ridden out to hold a slight margin.

Trainer James Cummings has given Anamoe two barrier trials to prepare for his scheduled comeback in the Group 2 $250,000 Apollo Stakes (1400m) at Royal Randwick on February 11.

It was interesting that prior to the trial Anamoe came out onto the Rosehill course proper wearing a conspicuous set of red pacifiers and ear muffs.

Anamoe cruised around to the start point behind the barriers where the pacifiers and ear muffs were removed for the trial.

The Godolphin champion is obviously in the early stages of his autumn campaign and is feeling very fresh and keen.

Anamoe, winner of seven Group 1 races and more than $10 million in prizemoney, can be headstrong at times but the pacifiers kept the entire relatively calm prior to the trial.

North Star Lass, trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, did well to beat a top class field in the trial. She showed her ability last spring winning the Group 2 Furious Stakes and is set for a competitive campaign in the three-year-old fillies classics this autumn.

Revolutionary Miss again trialled well for third and is likely to clash with North Star Lass in the Group 2 Light Fingers Stakes in two weeks.

The heat was full of potential autumn carnival contenders with Group 1 winners Icebath (fourth), No Compromise (fifth), Montefilia (sixth) and Knights Order (seventh) all trialling well.

Top stayers Soulcombe and Surefire trailed off in the heat but both were running through the line.

The second trial held over 900m was similarly loaded carnival hopefuls as Cross Talk led throughout to win the heat by three-quarters of a length from Group 1 winning fillies Sheeza Belter and Zougotcha.

Team Snowden’s Sheeza Belter, a stablemate of Revolutionary Miss, and the Chris Waller-trained Zougotcha are also likely to resume in the Light Fingers Stakes.

Waller’s Group 1 winners Fangirl, Manzoice, Hinged and El Bodegon and Hinged finished within a length of each other just behind the placegetters.

The Team Hawkes-trained Sebonack sat outside the leader in his 900m trial before taking the lead in the straight before just holding off stablemate Remarque who zoomed home when clear while the Waller mare Espiona ran on late to just miss a place.

The Hawkes stable trio of Semillion, Duchy Of Savoy and Dashing Legend ran the trifecta in their heat with Waller’s promising unbeaten Kazou finishing a close fourth.

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Champion jockey James McDonald needs three more winners to raise the bat for a half century of Sydney winners as we near the halfway point of the 2022-23 racing season.

McDonald, who had frustrating Australia Day at Warwick Farm on Thursday when he rode a winner on Cadetship but had five second placings, has a powerful book of eight rides at the Rosehill Gardens meeting on Saturday.

They include four favourites in overnight TAB Fixed Odds betting, most notably crack colt Golden Mile ($2.20) in the Group 2 $250,000 Expressway Stakes (1200m) and unbeaten youngster King’s Gambit ($1.35) in the Group 3 $200,000 Canonbury Stakes (1100m).

McDonald is also riding Thalassophile ($3.30 favourite) in the TAB Handicap (2000m) and Bold Mac ($3 favourite) in the Kia Ora Stud Handicap (1500m).

His other Rosehill mounts are challenging for favouritism – Wineglass Bay (race 3), Cigar Flick (race 5), Kalino (race 7) and Gracilistyla (race 10).

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Coolmore colt Shinzo creates plenty of interest at his debut in the Group 3 $200,000 Canonbury Stakes (1100m).

Shinzo is superbly-bred by Snitzel out of Samaready, his sire and dam were both Group 1 winning sprinters.

Arrowfield Stud’s sire sensation Snitzel is having a sensational season with his two-year-olds with six individual winners of nine races including two stakes-winners from just 14 runners this season.

Snitzel has had five of his two-year-old win at their debuts including Empire Of Japan (Breeders Plate), Amur and Serasana.

Snitzel needs three more winners to sire 300 individual two-year-old winners which includes 49 individual stakes-winners of 64 Group and Listed races. He has sired Golden Slipper winner Estijaab and famously produced the Inglis Sires Produce Stakes trifecta won by Invader.

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Emerging apprentice Amy McLucas has been passed fit to ride at Rosehill after suffering soft tissue injuries when dislodged from her mount at the Goulburn barrier trials earlier this week.

McLucas has four rides at Rosehill – Danzadel (TAB Highway), Bryon (Midway Handicap), Mystery Shot (Schweppes Handicap) and Super Strike (Kia Ora Stud Handicap).

She is chasing her third Rosehill Highway win for the month after successes on Trooper Knuckle (January 14) and Pokerface (January 7).

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The Rosehill course proper was rated a soft 5 late on Friday with the likelihood of an upgrade for the Group 2 Expressway Stakes meeting.

5 years ago

Trapeze Artist, trained by Gerald Ryan, had won the Golden Rose the previous spring before resuming with a brilliant win in the Expressway Stakes from Showtime at Rosehill. Trapeze Artist trained on that autumn to win the TJ Smith Stakes and All Aged Stakes at Group 1 level. The Chris Waller-trained Performer, winner of the Breeders Plate at his only other start, resumed with a narrow win in the Canonbury Stakes. Fiesta, a stablemate of Performer, won the Widden Stakes.

10 years ago

The Team Hawkes-trained three-year-old Happy Galaxy made it four wins in succession with a career-best effort in the Expressway Stakes, defeating Skytrain and Centennial Park. Remarkably, Happy Galaxy didn’t win another race for four years. Never Can Tell edged out Whittington and Criterion to win the Canonbury. Brilliant filly Overreach led throughout to win the Widden Stakes by six lengths. She trained on to win the Reisling Stakes next start before a dominant win in the Golden Slipper.

20 years ago

Champion Lonhro resumed with a brilliant first-up win in the Expressway Stakes. Lonhro was held up momentarily at the top of the straight but when the gap appeared, the John Hawkes-trained superstar burst through to win by nearly two lengths from Belle Du Jour and Carael Boy. Lonhro then won the Apollo Stakes, Chipping Norton Stakes and George Ryder Stakes before ending his autumn campaign by winning the Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Speedy colt Not A Single Doubt won the Canonbury Stakes.