Gai Waterhouse’s clear Golden Rose favourite Vancouver heads the San Domenico Stakes 2015 nominations for the Sydney meeting at Rosehill Gardens this weekend.

Golden Rose favourite Vancouver returns to racing at Rosehill in the 2015 San Domenico Stakes this Saturday in Sydney. Photo: Steve Hart.

The returning Medaglia D’Oro colt will carry a hefty 60kg under the set weights and penalties conditions of the three-year-olds’ race, 10 early entries taken for this year’s $125,000 Group 3 San Domencio Stakes (1100m).

Nominations have been extended until 11am (AEST) on Tuesday morning, but the sure-to-be favourite is the undefeated Vancouver.

He was last seen winning the world’s richest race for juveniles with a three-quarter length victory over stablemate English in the $3 million Group 1 Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill on March 21.

That followed three previous black-type victories and boosted Vancouver’s total prize money earned to over $2.36 million already.

After a winning Randwick trial on July 31 the young star is early favourite for both the $1 million Group 1 Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) on September 12 and Melbourne’s $1 million Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) over the mile on October 10 through Ladbrokes.com.au.

His spot at the top of those futures markets will be even more secure should he win first-up in the San Domenico Stakes this weekend, a race won 12 months ago by Nostradamus who went on to run fifth to Hallowed Crown in last year’s Golden Rose.

Vancouver (100) is easily the highest rated of the current San Domenico Stakes nominees, the next being the 89-rated Headwater for Team Hawkes.

A winner of two of his four starts to date, Exceed And Excel colt Headwater hasn’t raced since his fifth when beaten under two lengths by Vancouver in the Golden Slipper.

Since then the Group 2 Silver Slipper Stakes winner has had two Sydney trials leading up to his return this weekend, the latest of which was a second over 900m at Rosehill on August 4.

Vancouver has twice got the better of Headwater, the latter also running third behind Waterhouse’s young champion in the Group 2 Todman Stakes (1200m) at Randwick in early March.

The other best rated fancies for Saturday’s feature are the John O’Shea-trained Haptic and the flying Chris Waller-trained Japonisme who if accepted will be vying for a fourth win on the trot to stay undefeated this time in.

Haptic, another son of Exceed And Excel, won his first two starts at Randwick including the Listed Lonhro Stakes (1100m) over Furnaces in mid-February before a disappointing 12^th in the Golden Slipper.

The gelding has had two subsequent trials including a win at Randwick over 1050m on July 31 on a Soft (7) track and is undefeated first-up heading into the San Domenico.

As mentioned, Waller’s progressive Choisir gelding Japonisme has won all three of his starts this time in starting with a midweek at Canterbury in early July.

He was last seen smashing his rivals by a minimum four lengths over 1100m at Rosehill on August 1 in a Benchmark 72, Saturday to be his first venture into black-type racing.

Other notable San Domenico Stakes hopes this year include the Gerald Ryan-trained King’s Troop who won at Warwick Farm in fine style with three and three quarter lengths to spare over the runner-up on August 5, and the returning Snitzel colt Redzel for Peter & Paul Snowden.

Redzel was last seen running third to Furnaces in the Group 3 Kindergarten Stakes (1100m) at Randwick on April 6, a race run on a Heavy (9), and since then the progressive galloper, who also beat home Japonisme on debut in March, has won a trial to prove his fitness.

See below for the latest San Domenico Stakes 2015 nominations, the final field and barriers out on Wednesday morning.

Before then make sure you’ve got an account open online with Ladbrokes.com.au to enjoy all the hottest spring odds this weekend and over the coming months!

2015 San Domenico Stakes Nominations

Rosehill Gardens – 15/08/2015