Madison County returns to Rosehill for Tulloch Stakes assault

Madison County

It will be take two for multiple Group One-winning three-year-old Madison County at Rosehill on Saturday when he lines-up in the Gr.2 Tulloch Stakes (2000m).

The Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained gelding was withdrawn from last week’s Gr.1 Rosehill Guineas (2000m) after a float incident.

“He basically just rubbed himself in the float and had a bit of an abrasion around his hip area,” Forsman said.

“It just took the skin off, it was a little bit raw. He was vetted when he got on course and he wasn’t lame, but it was probably moreso not a good look to send the horse out to race.

“He was second favourite, so there was a bit of money invested, they couldn’t take the risk to let him start, but he hasn’t missed any work and seems fine, so we are all good to go and hopefully he travels sensibly on Saturday.”

Last Saturday’s withdrawal has continued Madison County’s bad spate of luck in recent times.

“Nothing has gone right,” Forsman said. “The pending sale fell over and because of that he missed a run in the Herbie Dyke (Gr.1, 2000m) and missed the run leading into the Randwick (Guineas, 1600m) and now he’s missed the run in the Rosehill Guineas. It certainly hasn’t been plain sailing, but all that being said, he is very well.”

READ: Learn more about New Zealand’s best horses and racing news

Madison County is likely to be met by similar wet track conditions to last weekend at Rosehill on Saturday, but Forsman is hoping the track will improve a bit before they jump.

“It was very testing that track last Saturday and hopefully it improves a little bit throughout the week and isn’t such a holding sort of track,” he said.

“I’m a little bit unsure as to how he will handle it, but he has worked up well on wet tracks before.”

The son of Pins has drawn the visitor’s barrier in the ten horse field, but that doesn’t overly concern Forsman who is expecting a strong showing from his talented galloper.

“It is a bit awkward (the barrier),” Forsman said. “His pattern of racing is to get back and just to find his feet a little bit, but I guess it is only a ten horse field and it will be interesting to see how the track plays after that racing on Saturday.

“I am picking they will come to the middle of the track pretty quickly anyway. So it shouldn’t be too much of a disadvantage.

“The Kiwis are probably the ones to beat and outside of that it drops away. We would be pretty disappointed if he wasn’t running top three. It will just be interesting to see how he runs out the 2000m.”

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