Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
The Vain the first step towards 'The Coolmore' for Closer To Free
Group 1 form is generally good form, and trainer Danny O'Brien is hoping that will be the case as his talented 3-year-old colt Closer To Free (Street Boss {USA}) resumes on Saturday after last contesting the two elite Group 1 2-year-old races, the Blue Diamond Stakes and the Golden Slipper, at the end of his last campaign.
Closer To Free was brilliant when running a strong on-pace second in the G1 Blue Diamond behind Streisand (Magnus), beating the subsequent G1 Golden Slipper winner Guest House (Home Affairs) in the process, before struggling in the Slipper where he worked hard to lead on a deteriorating track from a wide barrier and ultimately finished second-last.
Closer To Free | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
After having a nice break, O'Brien believes he has had an ideal preparation into his first-up run at Caulfield.
"He's had a nice build-up," O'Brien told Racenet.
"A slick trial down the straight which has brought him along nicely. He won the Prelude, at the same course and same distance, It’s a nice race for him to kick off.
"We're really pleased with him."
O'Brien is hoping Closer To Free has developed from his juvenile season in order to be competitive as a 3-year-old.
Danny O'Brien | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
"You still have to progress from what he did as a 2-year-old," O'Brien said.
"But he had two starts, first-up in the Prelude, which he won and second-up in the Blue Diamond, which he ran second.
"It obviously didn't go right for him in Sydney, we're hoping the improvement is there, given how lightly raced he was in the 2-year-old season."
"We'd like to see him in the Coolmore," O'Brien said.
"Saturday is a chance to see where we're at on that score."
"Saturday is a chance to see where we're at on that score." - Danny O'Brien
It looks a very competitive running of the G3 Vain Stakes, with some of the top chances including the classy Too Darn Hot (GB) colt Tornado Valley. Outspan could keep up his sire Bivouac’s hot form, while it would not be a surprise to see the classy All Too Hard gelding Hard Kick bounce back after disappointing first-up.
Race-fit Castillo King takes aim at The Rosebud
It looks an outstanding edition of this year's Listed The Rosebud at Rosehill on Saturday, with close to a full field expected to line up, depending on which horses decide to head down to Melbourne for other 3-year-old features.
The race is always an intriguing affair, as it pits 3-year-olds that are fit and have been racing, but not in weaker company, against proven stakes-winning 2-year-olds that are lacking race fitness resuming as 3-year-olds.
One runner that brings fitness and an impressive debut victory to the table is the Michael Freedman-trained Castillo King (Farnan), who was an impressive winner at Warwick Farm roughly a month ago.
Castillo King | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
Freedman admits it is difficult to assess how Castillo King will measure up against the proven stakes winners such as Chilly Girl (Trapeze Artist), Hidrix (Extreme Choice), Blue Door (Stay Inside) and Queen Regent (Wild Ruler), but says the 3-year-old deserves his spot in the field and is a good chance.
"That's the plan, the Rosebud, and we'll see where we get from there," Freedman told Racingandsports.
"It's always difficult to line up that mid-winter form getting into the spring. But he ran good sectionals, and I think he's a nice horse.
"It's always difficult to line up that mid-winter form getting into the spring. But he ran good sectionals, and I think he's (Castillo King) a nice horse." - Michael Freedman
"It is a track and distance that plays very leaderish sometimes, which may not suit him. But he seems to be heading in the right direction, anyway."
All the stakes winners mentioned above are good chances, while a couple of others in the same boat as Castillo King with race fitness include the King’s Legacy pair of Hostwin King and Royal Exile.
Michael Freedman | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
Can the excitement machine Lara Antipova bring her form across the Tasman?
There was no doubt that Lara Antipova (Russian Revolution) was New Zealand’s dominant 2-year-old last season, winning her only four starts by an aggregate of roughly 17 lengths, including success at Group 2 level twice and at the elite level in the G1 Sistema Stakes at Ellerslie on ‘Kiwi’ day.
She has since moved over to the Cranbourne branch of Te Akau Racing, where Mark Walker has her ready to roll in the G3 Quezette Stakes first-up after jumping out well.
Lara Antipova | Image courtesy of Kenton Wright (Race Images)
However, Walker concedes he is concerned by the 3kg penalty she has to carry after winning a Group 1 race, which means she is the clear topweight with a hefty 59kg.
“She seems bright and her last jump out was good,” Walker said.
“She (Lara Antipova) seems bright and her last jump out was good.” - Mark Walker
“I thought her jump out at Caulfield was just okay, but she has come on with fitness. We are happy with her, it is just that she has to carry that Group One penalty, it is quite a bit of weight.
“It is a very good edition of the Quezette, it is a very strong field. All you can do is win like she has, but she has still got to go to another level over here, especially with that weight.”
As is often the case with trainers and promising 3-year-olds, plans are not set in stone and more will be known after the race, but the stable has ambitions of heading towards the G1 Thousand Guineas over the mile.
Mark Walker | Image courtesy of Trish Dunnell
“We will go through to the Thousand Guineas Prelude, which is 1400 metres, and then we will decide if we go down a Thousand Guineas path or whether we keep her to sprinting. That will be third-up, and we will know what to do then.”
Lara Antipova has some classy types to defeat, with the race looking very open. A couple of fillies travelling down from Sydney in Scintillation (I Am Invincible) and Satin Summer (Written Tycoon) look great chances, while the Team McEvoy-trained Home Affairs filly Natural Fling has to be respected.
Feroce goes fresh into the P.B. Lawrence Stakes
The former G1 Australian Guineas winner Feroce (NZ) (Super Seth) may not have won a race since he picked up the Guineas in March of 2025, but he has run some solid races and trainer Dominic Sutton believes the now 5-year-old may have matured further ahead of his resumption in the G2 P.B. Lawrence Stakes this weekend.
“He's definitely turned into a man,” Sutton told racing.com.
“He's (Feroce) definitely turned into a man.” - Dominic Sutton
“He's a big, mature horse and, yeah, I'm really happy with the way that he's prepping up so far. I think, first-up last preparation, it showed that he's going as well, if not maybe even a little better than what he was as a 3-year-old,” Sutton said.
“He obviously went very close to beating Tom Kitten and I think that was probably nearly one of his best performances in his career.
Feroce (NZ) | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“Everything we're seeing is that he's come back as good, if not better than what he has done in the past.”
Sutton said a decision could be made late if the track was still in the heavy range, but admitted that the most likely outcome is that he will be running.
“He's a horse that does like a good surface, so that would be a question mark. I'd say more than likely we will run, just due to how strong the Memsie's coming up.
“We'll run if we can.”
Dominic Sutton | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
It’s a very good field of weight-for-age performers. The hardest to beat is clearly the last-start G3 Bletchingly Stakes winner Cosmic Crusader (NZ) (Maurice {Jpn}), while the veteran Private Eye (Al Maher) looks a good chance.
Last season's star 3-year-old staying filly and G1 New Zealand and Australian Oaks winner Ohope Wins (NZ) (Thorn Park) also resumes as a 4-year-old and she adds interest even though it may be a bit sharp for her.
Hawker Hall chases success at Rosehill
Newcastle trainer Kris Lees is taking a patient approach with his promising 5-year-old sprinter Hawker Hall (Russian Revolution), who chases his seventh win from only 15 starts on Saturday.
He looks every inch a black-type sprinter, but Lees has stayed away from aiming too high too quickly, and believes he has found a suitable race at BM94 level, where he carries 58kg in the hands of James McDonald off his 90 rating.
“It should be a good test for him and Rosehill probably suits his style of racing where he’s on speed from a good gate so he gets his chance,” Lees told RacingNSW.
Hawker Hall | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
“It was a relatively tough run first time out, he had a week on the water walker and a little home jump out last Friday.
“I thought he had room for plenty of improvement but he raced well and still came out of it nicely.”
“I thought he had room for plenty of improvement but he raced well and still came out of it nicely.” - Kris Lees
Last time out, he was a winner in BM88 grade over 1100 metres, so it is a slight step up in quality and distance on Saturday.
“He steps up a touch in trip in a competitive little race,.
“That inside draw should be an advantage, he has the right pattern to put himself there and make his own luck.”
Kris Lees | Image courtesy of Sportpix
Hawker Hall is definitely the horse to beat, but the two biggest threats could prove to be the Satono Aladdin (Jpn) gelding Grand Impact (NZ) and the Yulong-owned Eagle Express (Alabama Express), who is resuming for trainer Chris Waller.
