Veranillo stamps himself for the future
Trainer John O’Shea has stopped short of comparing Rosehill debut winner Veranillo to Astern, but says like his stablemare he stands out on type.
The colt lived up to his $3.40 favouritism on Saturday with a professional display in the Two-Year-Old Handicap beating Groundbreak ($7) by a length.
He covered the 1100m in 1min 05.66, a time reflecting the soft track.
“He is a lovely colt and on type he’s one we’ve liked all along,” O’Shea said.
“Astern stood out and this one did too.
“He’ll have a break and come back in the autumn and follow a traditional path in the two-year-old races.”
Astern won his debut before Christmas last year and came back to win the Silver Slipper Stakes for Godolphin in February.
He didn’t have the best of runs in the Golden Slipper but came back in the spring to get a Group One win in Golden Rose.
Like Astern, Veranillo is home bred for Sheikh Mohammed by Darley stallion Medaglia D’Oro.
Jockey Brenton Avdulla said it was a professional win although Veranillo still had a bit to learn.
“He probably got there a bit too soon and was looking everywhere but it was a nice win,” he said.