We see the emergence of some new three-year-olds on Saturday as The Rosebud at Listed grade headlines a massive 10-race program at Rosehill Gardens. The rail is out +3m for the meeting, and with no rain predicted heading into the weekend, we should be racing on a genuine Good 4 surface. The first race is set to get underway at 11:35pm AEST.

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The well-supported Spacewalk looked to have The Rosebud in his keeping at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday, but the John O’Shea-trained Zoukerino had other ideas.

Spacewalk loomed up and shot to the front in the closing stages of the Listed feature, but after laying in in the concluding stages of the race, the Godolphin colt threw the race away and Zoukerino snatched it from his grasp under Brenton Avdulla.

Now with two wins from as many starts, Zoukerino looks to be one of the most exciting three-year-olds ahead of the spring carnival, with the Golden Rose right on O’Shea’s radar.

The Rosebud 2022 Replay

“That’s a very, very good performance to do that at your second start and in very good company,” O’Shea said.

“I think the thing is – Brenton’s got so much confidence in him – he just rode him beautifully, so patient and he just backed his horse.”

O’Shea said he and his team had to “resist the temptation” to run him in the autumn as a two-year-old, with the belief that he was still a preparation away from being the completed package.

That decision has now paid dividends.

“We resisted the temptation to run him in the autumn,” the trainer said.

“I just said to the ownership group then, ‘I still reckon he’s a prep away; if we can give him a light winter prep – and he just had a couple of little things that meant we couldn’t get to the races any sooner – but he still had a little win at two, which is important for his profile, and he’s just come on so nicely from his win.

“We thought we’d take the opportunity and see if we can get a little bit of blacktype early in his career.

“Today was a pretty important race for him to see if he’d made the transition. He’s in all those race and we’ll just play it by ear.”

Zoukerino is now a $15 chance with online bookmakers for the Golden Rose.

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What	Rosebud Day 2022
Where	Rosehill Gardens Racecourse – James Ruse Dr, Rosehill NSW 2142
When	Saturday, August 13, 2022
First Race	11:20am AEST
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Saturday’s 10-race card at Rosehill Gardens will give us a first look at some of the better three-year-olds as they resume in The Rosebud. HorseBetting’s New South Wales racing analyst presents his best bets and quaddie numbers for the program, as well as his thoughts on the Listed feature. The track is rated a Soft 5, and the rail is out 7m from the 1500m to the winning post and then 3m for the remainder of the course. Race 1 is scheduled to jump at 11:20am AEST.

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Following his first official barrier trial for the preparation, Best Of Bordeaux is right where he needs to be according to his trainer, Kacy Fogden.

The rising three-year-old is one of the main fancies for September’s Golden Rose (1400m) following a terrific first season in which he won two Group races, before running second to Fireburn in the Group 1 Golden Slipper (1200m).

The colt by Snitzel was recently acquired by Coolmore Stud, so he will don the famous navy blue silks under Coolmore’s main rider, James McDonald, during his spring preparation.

Sam Clipperton has ridden Best Of Bordeaux in all three starts to date, but Coolmore has opted to replace him with Australia’s leading hoop in the hope of replicating the success that Home Affairs had in the 2021 spring.

In a video posted on Fogden’s social media pages, the trainer said she and McDonald were thrilled with the way Best Of Bordeaux trialled on Tuesday morning.

“He’s obviously spelled in tremendous order,” she said.

“Just really rapt with the way he’s come back into work and his attitude towards his work.

“He blew up a little bit over the back, but a very, very nice trial I thought for his first trial back.”

Miss Faberge finds the line first ahead of Absolute Star, Crystalane and Best Of Bordeaux in this morning's 2YO trial. pic.twitter.com/a2Bn5KcOAI

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) July 26, 2022

After over-racing a touch along the back when caught wide, Best Of Bordeaux came back and cruised through his gears late to run fourth, just 1.3 lengths behind Miss Faberge.

The colt is likely to have another trial before resuming in The Rosebud (1100m) at Rosehill Gardens on August 13.

McDonald won The Rosebud 12 months ago aboard Paulele, so he too will be going into the Listed race full of confidence.

“James McDonald was really rapt with him today,” Fogden said.

“He gave him a beautiful feel. He got caught a bit deep, but he settled and relaxed beautifully for him, so it was just really nice to see him do that.

“A lot of improvement to come I think. We’re probably sitting exactly where we need to be heading into The Rosebud first-up.”

Best Of Bordeaux sits on the second line of betting with most Australian bookmakers for the Golden Rose, which will be run and won at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday, September 24.

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What	Missile Stakes Day 2021
Where	Royal Randwick Racecourse – Alison Rd, Randwick NSW 2031
When	Saturday, August 7, 2021
First Race	11:15am AEST
Watch Live
Streaming Live at Sportsbet

HorseBetting’s New South Wales brings you his top picks in the two feature races at Royal Randwick this Saturday, as well as his best bets and quaddie numbers for the rest of the 10-race card. The track is rated a Good 4, the rail is out 5m for the entire course, and the first race is set to jump at 11:15am AEST.

Group 2 Missile Stakes: Phobetor

Michael Costa sends Phobetor south of the border for what will be the six-year-old’s biggest test to date. The son of Dream Ahead has had just 11 starts in his career, winning six of those and finishing second in last month’s Listed Ramornie Handicap at Grafton when beaten less than half a length by Southern Lad. Drawn ideally in barrier two for Tommy Berry, Phobetor is likely to get a dream run outside the leader in what is a small field. Costa’s stable is airborne of late, and his raids on Sydney have been successful too, so we are happy to be with the Queenslander here.

Listed Rosebud Best Bet: Remarque

Classy colt Remarque returns to the races on Saturday on his trek towards the Golden Rose. The son of Snitzel was an impressive winner on debut in January before a slight setback saw him miss a key lead-up into the Golden Slipper, and he was luckless in the Todman Stakes when fifth behind Anamoe and Profiteer. The Hawkes runner has had two trials in preparation for this and won both in impressive fashion, including a one-length victory over Flying Crazy, who was a strong winner on Wednesday on the Randwick-Kensington track. Drawn on the inside, Remarque should box seat and get every chance before allowing his brilliant turn of foot to come to the fore. He can give Tommy Berry a feature-race double to start the new racing season.

Randwick Best Bet: Harpo Marx

Harpo Marx was slightly disappointing a fortnight ago at Rosehill after getting too far back in the run over 2400m. The Bjorn Baker-trained gelding stays at that trip on Saturday and rises to the 62.5kg after apprentice Tom Sherry is replaced by James McDonald. The son of Galileo was a dominant winner at Randwick two starts ago and is yet to miss the top two placings in two starts here, so the venue should suit this six-year-old. A dryer track should not be of any concern, and from barrier two he will hopefully settle closer and be put into the race. This is much easier opposition than last time out too.

Next Best at Randwick: Kingsheir

Kingsheir has won two of his five career starts and is now resuming for the first time since September 2020. The now five-year-old was very impressive on debut, winning over 1300m by two lengths at Newcastle, before going under as an odds-on favourite at Warwick Farm. Team Hawkes have been patient with this ready-made racehorse and have big spring aspirations, nominating the gelding for a number of Group 1 races including the Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate and the Melbourne Cup, so they would be hoping he can win this Benchmark 78.

Best Value at Randwick: Great House

Chris Waller’s Great House has come up the wrong price here in our opinion, with the son of Galileo not doing anything wrong in his three starts this prep. The stayer was a tough winner first-up, fending off stablemates Wairere Falls and Zing, before finishing less than a length behind Brutality and Mubariz when third on June 26. Since then Great House has had just the one other start where he chased hard behind impressive winner Steely on a Heavy 8 track, finishing second and beating home subsequent winner So Wicked. Brock Ryan has been riding very well of late and takes 2kg off this five-year-old’s back, so the pair can win this at a good price.

Randwick quaddie picks for Missile Stakes Day

Untapped colt Anders has emerged as a wildcard for The Everest with a sustained display of speed to land a facile first-up victory in The Rosebud.

The $2.40 favourite took up the running and zipped further clear on straightening to score by 4-3/4 lengths from Ole Kirk ($6.50) with the Gerald Ryan-trained The Face ($4.20) another 1-3/4 lengths away.

Annabel Neasham, representing trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, said Anders was finally delivering on the promise he had always shown at home.

“We always knew he had an awful lot of ability but he was just doing a few things wrong,” Neasham said.

“In those early stages he was head-to-head with Gerald’s horse (The Face) and I think the old Anders would have fired up a bit.”

Neasham was attending her penultimate Saturday race meeting for Maher and Eustace before branching out as a trainer in her own right.

She wished she could take Anders with her and said the sky was the limit for the colt this spring.

The three-year-old, who is likely to step out next in the San Domenico Stakes in three weeks, is raced by Aquis Farm.

They hold a slot for The Everest and Neasham won’t be surprised to see Anders fill it.

“He is a proper colt. They are going to have an awful lot of fun with him,” Neasham said.

“Aquis have a slot in the Everest, so you never know. He is very fast.

“He is probably too brilliant for a Golden Rose but you never know. There is always a Coolmore as well, but I think they will aim high with him.”

Maher and Eustace are coming off an outstanding season with their juveniles and Neasham expects many of them to train on as spring three-year-olds.

She confirmed the Victorian-based Maher had entered quarantine and would base himself in Sydney during the early part of the carnival.

Maher will oversee the transition of the operation’s Sydney arm with Jack Bruce to take over from Neasham in the coming weeks.

The colt underwhelmed at his initial campaign, struggling to handle the pressures of race day.

Trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace kept faith, giving the horse time to mature and space to learn and he began to repay their investment with two promising wins at the back-end of his juvenile season.

He returns in Saturday’s Listed The Rosebud (1100m) at Rosehill on a mission to take the next step up to black-type grade and all the signs indicate Anders is ready for the challenge.

“He has always shown a lot of ability at home but he couldn’t translate it to the track as we thought he would in his first prep,” said Annabel Neasham, who runs the Sydney stable of Maher and Eustace.

“He was just doing a few little things wrong.

“The old Anders could get pressured. I think now he relaxes.

“He is an exciting horse for Ciaron for the spring.”

The three-year-old has assumed favouritism for the Rosebud from Kumasi, one of three runners for Gerald Ryan along with Return With Honour and The Face.

The Rosehill meeting will be Neasham’s penultimate Saturday for Maher and Eustace as she prepares to embark on her own training career after being granted 40 boxes at Warwick Farm.

Jack Bruce, who has been working for premier trainer Chris Waller, will take over the reins from Neasham later this month.

A star-studded lineup of three-year-old sprinters resume at Rosehill Gardens this Saturday in the $140,000 Listed Schweppes Rosebud, which offers a free pass into the Golden Rose in six weeks’ time. The Aquis pair of Kumasi and Anders share favouritism in what is a very open race of 10 runners. The speed will be on early with Rulership, One To Remember, Anders, Kumasi and Prime Star all natural go-forward horses.

Free betting tips for 2020 Rosebud

In a race with multiple unknowns, one runner in particular has caught our eye at the price. Proven Group 1 galloper Ole Kirk brings in clearly the best form into the race, which includes a Listed win, a Group 2 placing and a Group 1 placing in the Champagne Stakes when finishing 1.5 lengths behind King’s Legacy. While the Written Tycoon colt appears as though he will get better over a mile, his only win to date came over the 1100m first up which he is faced with here. Tommy Berry will settle off the hot tempo from barrier five and have him flying late. Ole Kirk looks well in with 59kg and is worth an each-way play. No matter what he does on Saturday, he will only improve from here and could very well be one of the stars of the spring.

Anders comes into this race as a deserving equal-favourite after back-to-back wins at the end of last campaign and a five-length trial victory at Randwick 10 days ago. While it took the Not A Single Doubt colt five starts to break his maiden, he ran into some serious company in the likes of Gotta Kiss, Wisdom Of Water and Peltzer before breaking through at Wyong with an impressive 6.5-length, all-the-way victory. Barrier three will suit the colt and allow Jason Collett to pursue the lead. His form at the end of last campaign suggests he can win this, but we are being cautious given his first-up record isn’t the strongest (2:0-1-0) and he could find himself in an early speed battle.

Richard and Michael Freedman are flying of late with 12 wins and a further 14 placings from their last 50 runners. Here they saddle up the 2020 Inglis Millennium winner, Prime Star, who is another runner that is massive overs. Last year’s edition of that race saw Castelvecchio reign supreme and Dawn Passage run into the money, leading us to believe that it could be one worth following in years to come. Prime Star placed twice in January before winning the $2 million feature in February on a very heavy Warwick Farm surface after being caught wide and finding the front a long way from home. He will get similar conditions here over the 1100m and will have to work early to find a spot from the outside alley under Sam Clipperton. He looks to be a better horse on wet going, so we are keen to have something on the gelding at around $26 first up.

The trainer will start Return With Honour, Kumasi and The Face, the trio among the top five horses in betting for Saturday’s Listed 1100m feature.

Ryan can make a case for each of them but says the Rosehill surface will determine who comes out on top.

“Dry track, I would say Return With Honour, soft track I would say Kumasi, heavy track, The Face,” Ryan said.

Golden Rose hopeful Return With Honour is held in high esteem by the stable and was hampered by wet tracks and bad luck in the autumn.

Ryan has had his share of quality colts and compares Return With Honour favourably to one of his former stars.

“He reminds me of Hinchinbrook in his stature. Hinchinbrook was by Fastnet Rock out of Snitzel’s mother and this horse is just built the same way,” Ryan said.

Kumasi likewise showed promise as a juvenile with a debut win and a stakes placing at his only other start.

Owners Aquis Farm have been patient with the colt and hope that approach will be repaid this spring.

“On pedigree, on type and the way he appeals to jockeys, he will be better over 1400 metres but at this stage of his preparation, 1100 should be right for him,” Ryan said.

The Face is the least experienced of the three but has the benefit of recent racing.

A dominant winner at Gosford last month despite shying when he hit the front, he has shown Ryan enough to throw him in the deep end.

“He’s got good ability. I haven’t really got to the bottom of him,” Ryan said.

“It might be overstepping the mark with him on Saturday but I just thought, with the (rain) forecast, two trials under his belt, one race under his belt, he’s got a fitness edge on the other two and the other two are going to be giving him a start.”

Kumasi opened favourite for The Rosebud but has been deposed by Anders from the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace stable.

The Richard and Michael Freedman-trained gelding holds a nomination for the Group One Golden Rose and will face a serious test of those credentials at Rosehill.

An early scratching from a benchmark race on Saturday’s program, Prime Star will take his place in the Listed The Rosebud (1100m).

The horse relished a heavy track to win the rich Inglis Millennium at Warwick Farm in February and with showers forecast in Sydney, similar conditions are anticipated at Rosehill.

“The track he won on at Warwick Farm was very heavy so that’s the part of it that would be pretty comfortable,” Michael Freedman said.

“He had to have a bit of surgery after his win in the Millennium and have a knee cleaned up.

“But he had a nice long spell after that and a nice long grounding to get ready to run first up.

“He’s had two trials and I’ve been very happy with both of them.”

The early scratching of Rule Of Law leaves a field of 10 to contest the first stakes race of the Sydney season with Pago Pago Stakes runner-up Kumasi an early favourite.