Linebacker can come up Roses
Fourth in Golden Rose prelude, Waterhouse & Bott’s 3YO may blossom at the right time
All eyes will be on the resuming Broadsiding in the A$1 million (S$883,000) Group 1 Golden Rose (1,400m) at Rosehill on Sept 28.
Sydney’s glamour three-year-old race has been building momentum for a few months, always bringing quality in its depth every year.
But, even if Godolphin’s exciting galloper will be the likely favourite for the James Cummings-James McDonald dynamic duo, history is against horses who go first-up in the Golden Rose.
In 2023, the Chris Waller-trained Shinzo resumed in the that race six months after his Group 1 Golden Slipper win, but underperformed, well beaten by Militarize.
A colt by Too Darn Hot, Broadsiding has not been seen since his pulsating Group 1 JJ Atkins (1,600m) win on June 15, capping four wins in a row as a juvenile.
Broadsiding is an interesting horse who could potentially be talked about as the best horse in Australia in a few months’ time.
At a Hawkesbury barrier trial on Sept 17, he ran on strongly for second, looking flawless in his action.
Undeniably a very good horse, he could even come out and make a statement, which means he could be a star for the rest of the carnival.
But the first-up statistics are not stacked in his favour.
Two weeks before the Golden Rose, its prelude was held – as its name may suggest – the Run To The Rose.
The Group 2 event over 1,200m has provided nine of the past 12 winners, and this year’s renewal may not be any different.
From the way Broadsiding’s stablemate Traffic Warden (Zac Lloyd) went around runners to get up narrowly on the outside, he will no doubt be a big runner again, even with the extra 200m.
But the run of the race actually came from Linebacker, who flew from last along the rails for Kerrin McEvoy. The John O’Shea and Tom Charlton-trained son of Super Seth ran through the line to claim fourth spot, only two lengths adrift.
That run jumped off the page. He was strong late and the 1,400m will suit him down to the ground.
He is not a horse who typically gets back in the field but he can turn the tables on Traffic Warden. He will settle much closer on Sept 28, and is just about ready to win.
Run To The Rose’s beaten (third) short-priced favourite Storm Boy needs to get the start right.
From gate 1 in the Group 3 San Domenico Stakes (1,100m) first-up, he led and used that sustained speed to put a gap on his rivals.
He is an imposing and powerful momentum horse for the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott team, so the wide draw in 10 should not matter, though the prospect of a wet track will not be as kind. The wetter, the worse it is for him.
The Justify colt likes to use that extravagant action, but the margin for error is pretty tight. In the last six years, 0.2 length was the average winning margin in the Golden Rose, slated to run as Race 8 at 2.05pm Singapore time.
On the other hand, Linebacker is a proven wet tracker and also has the benefit of one run under his belt compared to Broadsiding.
All in all, he should get the right run for McEvoy, a three-time Melbourne Cup-winning jockey who will be bidding for a third Golden Rose success after Denman in 2009 and The Autumn Sun in 2018.
Punters looking for value may take a sneak peek at Tropicus. The Anthony & Sam Freedman-trained galloper was not beaten out of his ground in the San Domenico and Run To The Rose.
Also by Too Darn Hot, he still does a few things wrong, but he dons blinkers for the first time.
Two runs back, he was a sectional star in the San Domenico, crying out for the 1,400m. Sky Racing
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