Despite the poor overall record of fillies in the race the bookmakers are taking no chances with the Chris Waller-trained Omei Sword installing her as the new Golden Rose Stakes 2016 betting favourite for this weekend.
Omei Sword is favourite in the post-field 2016 Golden Rose Stakes betting odds for this weekend’s Rosehill Gardens classic. Photo: Steve Hart.
The $1 million Group 1 Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) has a field limit of 17 runners, but there were only 14 final acceptances taken by Racing NSW on Tuesday for this Saturday’s Sydney Spring Racing Carnival feature.
Three fillies have been accepted for to take on the boys in the Rosehill Gardens elite level including the firming favourite Omei Sword who has already been backed in from $3.60 to $3.50 at Ladbrokes.com.au.
Just three fillies in the past 30 plus years have won the Golden Rose Stakes with Forensics (2008) the most recent.
Waller’s progressive daughter of High Chaparral Omei Sword is tipped to break the drought after coming up trumps with barrier three this weekend, a gate that last produced a winner with Manawanui (2011).
A winner on debut over 1100m at Rosehill before a brave second to Calliope in the Group 2 Magic Night Stakes (1200m) at the track in March, Omei Sword rounded out her juvenile campaign with a Group 1 run.
She only managed to finish ninth to Yankee Rose, who runs again for the first time on Saturday in the Golden Rose and sits at $9.50 in the current markets to win first-up, in the Group 1 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m).
In her three-year-old debut on August 20 at Randwick Omei Sword quickly atoned, running away by 3.3 lengths to win the Group 2 Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m).
For that win the filly had Brenton Avdulla aboard, but he is booked to ride the John O’Shea-trained Impending on Saturday after guiding him to third to stablemate Astern in the Group 2 The Run To The Rose (1200m) a fortnight back.
Waller’s regular rider for the stable Hugh Bowman, a four-time Golden Rose winning hoop, is also unavailable for the Omei Sword ride on Saturday having given his services to Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott on El Divino.
Answering the call for the ride on the Golden Rose favourite and Waller’s prayers is Brazilian hoop Joao Moreira who travels over from Hong Kong.
The aforementioned Godolphin-raced Run To The Rose winner Astern is the $3.80 second favourite in Golden Rose Stakes markets out to complete a double recently achieved by Hallowed Crown (2014) and the O’Shea-trained Exosphere (2015) last year.
Last year’s winning hoop James McDonald rides the Medaglia D’Oro colt once again, but Astern has a wide barrier 12 draw to overcome.
Occupying the third line of Golden Rose Stakes odds and the only other single-figure fancy aside from the returning David Vandyke-trained Yankee Rose ($9.50) is the Divine Prophet ($4.80).
Tommy Berry rode Epaulette to victory in the race back in 2012 and gets another shot on Saturday aboard the Team Hawkes-trained son of Choisir who won the Group 3 Up & Coming Stakes (1300m) last time out.
That was his first run of the new season and followed a close third to Prized Icon in the Group 1 Champagne Stakes (1600m) from mid-April, making the 1400m second-up an ideal target.
The best of the double-figure chances representing the value include Impending ($12), the Lindsay Park-trained Victorian raider Derryn ($13) coming off a second in the Up & Coming Stakes and El Divino ($16).
See below for the latest Golden Rose Stakes 2016 betting odds, fixed win prices provided by Ladbrokes.com.au – home of the spring’s best markets and offers!
