A final field of 10 fillies and mares is engaged to face off in the Golden Pendant 2016 at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday including the early favourite in betting First Seal.
First Seal is early favourite to take out the 2016 Golden Pendant at Rosehill Racecourse this Saturday in Sydney. Photo: Steve Hart.
John Thompson saddles-up his now five-year-old daughter of Fastnet Rock from barrier three with Blake Shinn booked for the ride in the $400,000 Group 1 Golden Pendant (1400m).
Set to run as Rosehill Race 7 at 3:55pm (AEST), the Golden Pendant field has First Seal carrying the 58kg top weight under the set weights and penalties conditions.
She hasn’t raced since her distant 12th to champion mare Winx in the Group 1 Doncaster Mile (1600m) back on April 2.
Prior to that First Seal, who enjoyed a winning Randwick trial over 1200m on September 5 by three lengths ahead of her return, ran fourth to Winx in the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes (1500m) and second to Holler in the Group 1 Canterbury Stakes (1300m).
Her last win was in late February at Rosehill over Telepathic in the Group 2 Millie Fox Stakes (1300m) and she has top form fresh (4-2-1-0) and over the Golden Pendant distance (3-2-1-0).
First Seal leads the post-field Golden Pendant odds at Ladbrokes.com.au paying $3.20 and is followed in the markets by two $6 second fancies: Heavens Above and Dixie Blossoms.
Tim Martin trains local Street Cry five-year-old Heavens Above, the mare coming off a win at the track in the Group 3 Sheraco Stakes (1200m) at fortnight back.
Tye Angland retains the ride in barrier four on Saturday, his mount also known for her brave second to Azkadellia in the Group 1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m) during ‘The Championships’.
Tim Clark is booked to partner Ron Quinton’s widely-drawn Street Sense four-year-old Dixie Blossoms from the outside barrier (10) in the Golden Pendant.
She is out to atone for her 12th to Heavens Above in the Sheraco Stakes when defeated 3.4 lengths from another wide alley (12 of 14).
Before that she ran second three times on the trot including behind Pearls when beaten only a neck first-up in the Group 3 Toy Show Quality (1300m).
John O’Shea has accepted for his Toy Show Quality winner Pearls in the Golden Pendant field, the Exceed And Excel four-year-old at a current quote of $12 to return to winning form.
She gets the inside run from barrier one with top Sydney hoop James McDonald aboard again after guiding her to the disappointing 11th in the Sheraco last time out from gate 11.
There are two other single-figure fancies meanwhile with the David Pfieffer-trained Sheraco Stakes runner-up Denmagic ($8.50) and Peter & Paul Snowden’s Written Tycoon six-year-old Tycoon Tara ($9.50).
The wetter the better for Tycoon Tara who won the Group 2 Missile Stakes (1200m) on a Heavy (10) first-up, before showing her versatility with a win over Group 1 winner Le Romain in the Group 3 Show County Quality (1200m).
She was last seen running fourth to Mackintosh when under a length off the winner in the Group 2 Theo Marks Stakes (1300m) at Rosehill on September 10 and can improve back against her own kind this weekend.
It is a wide open affair in the Golden Pendant with other notable hopes including Toowoomba-trained Collate four-year-old Sold For Song ($11) who is a multiple Group placegetter and Team Snowden’s other runner Serene Majesty ($13) coming of a fifth in the Sheraco Stakes only 0.7 lengths off Heavens Above.
Check out the full Golden Pendant 2016 field, barriers, jockeys and latest Fixed Win odds provided by Ladbrokes.com.au below.
