Weight determines Bosson’s Sistema ride
Opie Bosson’s Group One hopes in the two-year-old feature at Ellerslie will rest with Sword Of Osman, although it’s not strictly by choice.
The top jockey will partner the last-start winner in Saturday’s Sistema Stakes (1200m), in which he will be opposed by his unbeaten stablemate Avantage and The Real Beel.
“Opie’s struggling a bit with his weight so he’ll ride the boy, Matt Cameron will be on Avantage and Danielle Johnson will ride The Real Beel,” said Jamie Richards, who trains with Stephen Autridge.
“Sword Of Osman and Avantage worked nicely this morning and with a good barrier and a bit of luck The Real Beel is certainly up to the other two.”
Bosson guided Sword Of Osman to an effortless victory in the Gr.3 Reid & Harrison Slipper (1200m) at Matamata while he has ridden Avantage in two of her four wins, including the Karaka Million (1200m).
The Real Beal has won once from three appearances and last time out she finished third in the Gr.2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m).
Meanwhile, domestic Group One winners Embellish and Melody Belle will return home from Australia to be spelled.
“They are both going to be having breaks, they had no luck unfortunately,” Richards said.
Embellish was a first-up sixth in the Gr.3 C.S. Hayes Stakes (1400m) before he had an interrupted run on Saturday when eighth in the Gr.1 Australian Guineas (1600m) on his Flemington return.
“He tried to get out and couldn’t and when he did he got to the line well,” Richards said.
At Randwick, Melody Belle finished fifth in the Gr.2 Light Fingers Stakes (1200m) and ninth in the Gr.1 Surround Stakes (1400m).
“She was three and four wide with no cover on Saturday, you just have to put a line through it and move on,” Richards said.