Broadside brewing from Caulfield Guineas rivals

Godolphin’s combative Group 1 Golden Rose (1,400m) winner Broadsiding will be all the rage in the A$3 million (S$2.6 million) Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1,600m) on Oct 12.

Even if it is the smallest field for the three-year-old classic since 2012 when All Too Hard downed Pierro in an eight-horse field, there will be no shortage of challengers bidding to halt his five-in-a-row inside the last furlong.

Four of them came out for a spot of gallop around Caulfield on Oct 8, all looking bright as a button.

However, Wanaruah, Private Life, Tropicus and Vianarra are likely to start at double digits or more, but connections trackside could not fault their respective charges’ preparation.

One of them was Gai Waterhouse, Australia’s first lady of racing, who was on hand to watch Wanaruah pair up with former Kranji dual Group 2 winner Coin Toss.

With race rider Jye McNeil aboard, Wanaruah had the measure of Coin Toss without extending too much, giving his trainer plenty of confidence heading into the Caulfield Guineas even if he will be at his first test over the mile.

“I think he’ll get 1,600m with his eyes shut. I think that’s exactly what he’s looking for,” said Waterhouse who trains in partnership with Adrian Bott.

The Snitzel colt ran third in the Group 3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude on Sept 21 after leading over 1,400m in the stable’s typical fashion. He was not able to match the finishing burst of Angel Capital in the concluding stages of that contest, but Waterhouse still qualified the performance as “outstanding”.

“I think his run in the Prelude was outstanding. The horse stepped up in class and he didn’t shirk his duty at all, he was very good,” she said.

“We felt Wanaruah needed the experience here at Caulfield this morning.”

The camp’s flagbearer Mayfair, part-owned by the China Horse Club – a former formidable force at Kranji in the past with the likes of Tropaios, Wimbledon or Skywalk – stayed in his box, but worked at Flemington the day before.

“Mayfair has been very good. We worked him at Flemington and thought that was enough for him,” said Waterhouse.

“He’s travelled a lot of miles to come down here. He seems to be a happy chappy.”

Mayfair is also a relatively unexposed colt, but he has already given a peek of his potential in feature races. The Fastnet Rock one-time winner boasts three placings at Group level, the latest being a third to Broadsiding in the Golden Rose.

“Mayfair is a very good colt and very underrated and could easily take out the Guineas. He’s a classy individual,” said Waterhouse.

Whether both Waterhouses have got the class of a Broadsiding or the ability to win the Guineas, there are reservations, but they deserve to have a crack after what they produced at their last starts.

While Sydney rival Chris Waller was not on hand at Caulfield that morning, the Melbourne team’s report would have pleased the multiple champion trainer.

Their sole runner Private Life, with race-rider Damian Lane up, breezed up the straight with Group 2 Hobartville Stakes (1,400m) winner and Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1,600m) entry Osipenko.

A 13-1 chance by Written Tycoon, Private Life boasts two wins at home (1,100m and 1,200m), but at his first trip down South, was just nosed out of the Prelude trifecta by Wanaruah.

Knowing the way the Waller team operate, they probably left something up his sleeve.

The next contender to enjoy a stretch-out up the Caulfield straight was the 2023 Melbourne Cup-winning team of Anthony & Sam Freedman’s (Without A Fight) Tropicus.

It was precisely Without A Fight’s Cup-winning jockey Mark Zahra who was in the irons on Oct 8 and will also be his Guineas rider.

“He galloped good. It’s good for him to get back to the Melbourne way, he’s been looking for that his whole preparation,” said Zahra.

“He just sat off his stablemate. He rallied pretty good in the straight, it was a nice piece of work.”

On face value, the Too Darn Hot colt’s seventh in the Golden Rose, five lengths off Broadsiding, was disappointing, but the ace rider is not leaving his corner.

“It was a hard ride in the Golden Rose, he doesn’t get around that way. He got a bit keen early, and just spent most of the race trying to get left,” he said.

“I never got a chance to get a feel of him. By the time I got him balanced to straighten up, the race was over.

“It was still not bad to the line, considering that and his late runs have been good. Back on his Melbourne leg, he’s got a little bit of ground to make up on Broadsiding, but if he gets a soft run, he may be able to finish off.”

Vianarra is still a maiden, but has already pocketed more than A$200,000 from his four placings.

The Shalaa colt may at most pick up another place cheque, but co-trainer Natalie Young still expects plenty of cheers from the owners.

“He’s a ladies’ horse and he’s given them such a great buzz. He’s taken them to Sydney, Magic Millions,” said Young.

“We might as well chase a Group 1 – you’re only a three-year-old colt once.”

manyan@sph.com.sg