The untapped potential of boom colt St Gotthard will be put to the test when he faces a crack field of three-year-olds in a key Golden Rose lead-up at Rosehill.
A brother to young stallion Switzerland, St Gotthard will face his toughest assignment in Saturday’s Run To The Rose (1200m) when he takes on 11 rivals including Golden Slipper placegetter Music Time and the well-performed Warwoven.
St Gotthard was a late arrival on the two-year-old scene, scoring a midweek win on debut at Warwick Farm in April before turning in a stunning performance to claim the Listed Ken Russell Memorial Classic (1200m) at the Gold Coast by four lengths at his only other appearance.
That is enough to have him on the second line of Golden Rose betting, and with the spring features in mind, trainer Chris Waller is as keen as the next person to see how he handles Saturday’s class rise.
“He is probably a little unknown,” Waller said. “The others have been racing in Group One, elite company and he is the up-and-comer, winning by good margins. He looks like he has come back really well. He has thickened up and furnished, got a bit of muscle and power. He is more the sprinter, being a brother to Switzerland, and we know a little bit about him as well (in regards to) what the pedigree is like.”
St Gotthard will be joined in the race by Group 1-winning stablemates Fireball and Tron Bolt, along with Central Europe, while Stormy Marco has been scratched in preference for the Ming Dynasty Quality (1400m).
Fireball closed out his juvenile season with a Champagne Stakes (1600m) victory, and while he is capable of sprinting well fresh, Waller suspects he will come into his own as the distances are increased.
“He did a great job at two. He won three or four races. He was there at the start of the two-year-old season, and he won a Champagne,” Waller said. “He will be disadvantaged in the Run To The Rose – he will have to carry a penalty for being a Group One winner. But the Golden Rose is when he’ll start to put his hand up and hopefully onto a Caulfield Guineas.”
Six horses have captured the Run To The Rose-Golden Rose double, although none since Bivouac in 2019.
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