Darren Weir’s brilliant Alister Clark Stakes winner from last Friday night Cliff’s Edge is a notable inclusion in the Rosehill Guineas 2018 nominations for this Saturday in Sydney.

Alister Clark Stakes winner Cliff’s Edge could head to Sydney on the quick back-up into the 2018 Rosehill Guineas field on Saturday. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
The Canford Cliffs colt was the odds-on favourite to return to winning form at The Valley under the lights in the Group 2 Alister Clark Stakes (2040m) and didn’t disappoint with an all-too-easy win.
Leading Victorian trainer Weir has now thrown in a nomination for Cliff’s Edge to head to Sydney on the quick back-up to contest the Group 1 $600,000 Rosehill Guineas (2000m) on Golden Slipper Day.
Weir chases his first win in the three-years-old set weights classic and Cliff’s Edge would need to defy history as the first Rosehill Guineas winner to come off a Moonee Valley lead-up in over 30 years.
The other two best out of the Alister Clark Stakes are also nominated for a possible Rosehill Guineas rematch on Saturday with Pierro colt Levendi (2nd) and the progressive Belfast (3rd) who is on the improve this campaign.
Levendi is also nominated for a possible weight-for-age run against the older horses over the same track / distance in the Group 1 $700,000 Ranvet Stakes (2000m) that no three-year-old has won since gold Guru (1998).
One of five Group 1 features on Slipper Day, the Rosehill Guineas nominations attracted a bumper 26 early entries this autumn including four Kiwi raiders from the stables of Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman.
Co-trainer Baker won the race back in 2013 with It’s A Dundeel and the New Zealand-trained horses have dominated again since with Volkstok’n’barrell (2015) and Gingernuts (2017).
The Baker & Forsman entries in the mix this year are: Mission Hill, the in-form Mongolian Marshal up in grade, last start NZ Derby winner Vin De Dance and Weather With You who has six previous runs down under in Melbourne.
The Rosehill Guineas is a gun lead-up to Randwick’s Group 1 ATC Derby (2400m) on April 7 and the current favourite in pre-field Australian Derby odds at Ladbrokes.com.au is Ace High ($6).
Ace High is Rosehill Guineas-nominated for a fourth-up run this Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival.
The David Payne-trained High Chaparral colt has improved each time out this time in after a stellar spring that saw him win the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Randwick and the Group 1 VRC Derby (2500m) at Flemington.
His latest run was on March 10 when a close fourth to Kementari in the Group 1 Randwick Guineas (1600m), the winner of which could take on Winx in the George Ryder Stakes 2018 on Saturday.
Payne chases a second Rosehill Guineas win following that of Criterion back in 2014 who improved on a Randwick Guineas eighth to win at 12/1 odds.
Other notable Rosehill Guineas entries include the six for Sydney’s best Chris Waller led by D’Argento who is the $8 second favourite for the ATC Derby out to improve on a lead-up Randwick Guineas seventh.
The official Rosehill Guineas 2018 final field and updated odds at Ladbrokes.com.au are set for release on Wednesday.
2018 Rosehill Guineas Nominations
Rosehill Gardens – 24/03/2018
# | Form (Last 10) | Horse | Sex | Age | Trainer | Hcp. Rating |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 155111×554 | ACE HIGH | C | 3 | David Payne | 107 |
2 | 21321130 | AGE OF FIRE | C | 3 | Stephen Autridge & Jamie Richards | 100 |
3 | 11243 | BELFAST | C | 3 | Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young | 77 |
4 | 42251×6009 | CAPITAL GAIN | G | 3 | Paul Butterworth | 88 |
5 | 12126×1271 | CLIFF’S EDGE | C | 3 | Darren Weir | 98 |
6 | 3235×2128 | CONDOR | C | 3 | Paul Perry | 69 |
7 | 11×137 | D’ARGENTO | C | 3 | Chris Waller | 88 |
8 | 132485 | ENDOWMENT (NZ) | G | 3 | Donna Logan & Chris Gibbs | 79 |
9 | 1111 | FURORE (NZ) | G | 3 | Kris Lees | 73 |
10 | 311×626 | KAONIC (NZ) | C | 3 | Chris Waller | 80 |
11 | 1x1661x502 | LEVENDI | C | 3 | Peter Gelagotis | 85 |
12 | x212135x40 | MAIN STAGE (NZ) | G | 3 | Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young | 75 |
13 | 211×1156 | MISSION HILL | G | 3 | Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman | 79 |
14 | 374211 | MONGOLIAN MARSHAL (NZ) | G | 3 | Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman | 72 |
15 | 921×13272 | MONGOLIANCONQUEROR (NZ) | G | 3 | Stephen Autridge & Jamie Richards | 90 |
16 | 2x2273x294 | SALSAMOR (NZ) | C | 3 | Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young | 82 |
17 | 112×1295 | SIEGE OF QUEBEC | C | 3 | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | 86 |
18 | 31×512 | SO YOU WIN | G | 3 | Chris Waller | 72 |
19 | 0x94220x60 | TANGLED | C | 3 | Chris Waller | 90 |
20 | 74×120 | TANGMERE (NZ) | C | 3 | Chris Waller | 68 |
21 | 85×6144332 | TERWILLIKER | G | 3 | Anthony & Edward Cummings | 62 |
22 | 14164 | THE MAYOR (NZ) | G | 3 | Chris Waller | 80 |
23 | 3141×74 | VILLERMONT | C | 3 | Aaron Purcell | 85 |
24 | 12235×4631 | VIN DE DANCE (NZ) | G | 3 | Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman | 102 |
25 | 2x24718x55 | WEATHER WITH YOU | G | 3 | Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman | 73 |
26 | 9×97345131 | YURALLA BOY | G | 3 | Todd Howlett | 62 |