By Trevor Marshallsea
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Valuable colt set to face a talented field in Saturday’s Run To The Rose
Despite money pouring in for boom gelding Bustling (Frosted) for his eastern states debut, Adrian Bott has issued a warning that $50 million colt Storm Boy (Justify) has only improved since his stunning resumption as the pair shape up for Saturday’s Run To The Rose (Gr 2, 1200m) at Rosehill.
The market suggests the three-year-old sprint could be a battle royale between the best from east and west as Bustling, the former Perth star now with the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr stable, seeks a fifth win from six starts as he takes on Storm Boy, the precocious and precious stud prospect who returned to his best in the San Domenico Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m).
While favourite Storm Boy tightened slightly from $2.30 on Tuesday to $2.10 on Friday, a concerted push for Bustling led to his price being slashed from $9 to $5.
He leapfrogged Godolphin’s Traffic Warden (Street Boss) – $5 to $8 – and the also-resuming Switzerland (Snitzel) – $6 to $7 – while the latter’s unbeaten Chris Waller stablemate Emirate (Extreme Choice) eased from $9 to $12, level with the also easy Linebacker (Super Seth).
While Bustling’s co-trainer Michael Kent Jr told ANZ on Tuesday that the stable was “using the run to bring him on” ahead of his major target in The Everest (1200m), many punters clearly believe he could still be forward enough to topple Storm Boy. This follows Bustling’s impressive 1.4 length win against older horses in a 900-metre Rosehill barrier trial last week in his first competitive clockwise outing.
Storm Boy’s co-trainer Bott concedes Bustling’s West Australian formlines – headed by a 4.2 length romp in the Karrakatta Plate (Gr 2, 1200m) and a last-start 2.6 length win in the Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 3, 1400m) – present a new and intriguing challenge for the Tulloch Lodge star.
But while respectful of Bustling, and others, Bott said Storm Boy had only improved since his all-the-way 2.89 length demolition of the San Domenico field two weeks ago as he heads towards his main immediate target, the Golden Rose (Gr 1, 1400m) on September 28.
“He’s in excellent shape,” Bott, who trains partnership with Gai Waterhouse, told ANZ Bloodstock News of the Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) winner.
“We’re very pleased with him, and he’s shown some nice improvement off his first-up run.
“We haven’t had to do a great deal with him since his last run, but he’s a horse that thrives on his work – he naturally does well between runs – so you don’t have to be cuddling him either. He’s taken good natural improvement off that run, and you’d expect him to do so.
“Obviously it’s a field with a bit more depth than what he took on first up. There’s some interesting horses there, some we haven’t seen this spring yet.
“Traffic Warden has trialled up well. The Perth horse has trialled well and is in The Everest, so he’s a big watch. He’s bringing some new and different formlines to what we’ve seen.
“And Switzerland, I’m sure has come back well. The Golden Slipper didn’t work out so well for him, but you can always be forgiven for that. Look at Storm Boy. You’d forgive him for his Slipper run but his form before that was pretty faultless.
“So, this race will give us a better gauge and indication. But in terms of where Storm Boy’s at, he just continues to make improvement.”
Coolmore teammates Storm Boy and Switzerland missed out on Slipper day. The former ran third as $2.60 favourite but showed merit in fighting home up the inside after being slightly slowly away. The latter looked plain in running eighth as second elect.
Storm Boy was then tried at a longer trip in the ATC Sires’ Produce (Gr 1, 1400m) but ran only fourth of nine, albeit in his only outing on heavy going.
Coming weeks after Coolmore had bought a controlling share in Storm Boy in that eye-watering multi-million dollar deal, some juries went out on the colt. But doubts were emphatically answered when he toyed with his rivals in the San Domenico.
“That was very satisfying,” Bott said. “He showed tremendous speed and sustained that and looked pretty dominant in what’s always been an important race for three-year-old sprinters resuming.
“Some good horses have won that race, and I felt it showed he’s right on track for the campaign we’ve got set for him. It was an important run for him.”
Though the $20 million Everest – at Randwick on October 19 – would appear ideal for Storm Boy under a weight-for-age impost of just 53 kilograms, Bott said the Golden Rose was the only plan for him “at this stage”.
While Kent indicated Bustling would take improvement from the Run To The Rose, Waller hinted at a sharp first-up performance from Switzerland, the $1.5 million yearling who entered the Slipper unbeaten after three runs. With regular rider James McDonald in Melbourne, Jason Collett takes the ride on Switzerland, who ran unhurried fourth placings in both lead-in trials.
“His trials have been good, his work’s been good,” Waller said on social media. “James has done all the work on this horse and said he’s worked very, very well, and he’s pretty happy with how he’s come back.”
Meanwhile, Godolphin’s Traffic Warden returns after winning the VRC Sires’ Produce (Gr 2, 1400m) before a strong fourth in the Slipper and a narrow second in the ATC Sires’ Produce. He’s had two trials, the latter an impressive 0.55 length win over 1000 metres at Hawkesbury beating Tulloch Lodge colt Prost (Snitzel), who’s engaged in Saturday’s Poseidon Stakes (Listed, 1100m) at Flemington.
Storm Boy, Bustling, Switzerland and Traffic Warden carry topweight of 57.5 kilograms under the sets weights and penalties conditions of the Run To The Rose, which has drawn a nine-horse field.
Linebacker, with 57 kilograms, grabbed attention in the autumn by winning Rosehill’s Baillieu Stakes (Gr 3, 1400m) and running a 0.76 length second to the outstanding Broadsiding (Too Darn Hot) in Randwick’s Champagne Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) on a Heavy 10.
The John O’Shea and Tom Charlton-trained Linebacker has impressed in two barrier trials, the second a 0.75 second to star sprinter Giga Kick (Scissor Kick) over 900 metres at Randwick.
But Charlton cautioned Linebacker’s best would hopefully be produced in the Golden Rose, and in the Caulfield Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) two weeks later.
“He’s going very well. We’ve been very happy with his trials,” Charlton told ANZ Bloodstock News. “He’s ready to get his campaign started. He’s not fully wound up by any means, and 1200 would be short of his ideal trip, so if he can be running on and gives us something to look forward to in the future, that would be good.
“He’s come back bigger and stronger. He’s bred to be better as a three-year-old, and we always campaigned him as a two-year-old with his three-year-old season in mind.
“We do think he’s absolutely got the potential to be a good horse. He’s got to continue to tick the boxes mentally, and everything has to fall into place, but on his work and his trials, he’s coming along well.”