Daily News Wrap

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Rosehill Guineas for The Autumn Sun

The connections of The Autumn Sun (Redoute's Choice) have confirmed the star colt will progress to the G1 Rosehill Guineas at his next start.

The Autumn Sun was a sensational winner of the G1 Randwick Guineas last weekend, coming from eight lengths behind at the top of the straight to claim a memorable seventh win at his eighth start.

Trainer Chris Waller released a statement on Wednesday confirming plans to step up The Autumn Sun to 2000 metres for the first time at Rosehill on March 23.

The Autumn Sun and Kerrin McEvoy after winning the G1 Randwick Guineas

“He has come through his victory in the Randwick Guineas without issue and recovered well from the run,” Waller said.

“Following discussions between the owners and I yesterday, it has been decided that he will now progress to the Group 1 Rosehill Guineas on March 23."

“There were various options available for his next run, however it was agreed that stepping to the untested trip of 2000 metres will open up further race options for him during the Autumn."

Waller did not confirm what those further race options were and whether he was considering sending the 3-year-old to take on stablemate Winx (Street Cry {Ire}) in the G1 Queen Elizabeth S.

“No decision will be made on any races beyond the Rosehill Guineas as we look to use the race as a distance guide for any future races he may contest in the Autumn and beyond," he said.

Schabau Cup dream on hold

German import Schabau (Ger) (Pastorious {Ger}) has suffered a tendon injury which will rule him out of the 2019 Melbourne Cup.

Schabau has impressed since his arrival in Australia, winning a hat-trick of races at Flemington since the start of the year, the latest in the Listed Roy Higgins Quality by 3.75l.

Prepared by Melbourne Cup winning trainer Robert Hickmott, he was being touted as an early prospect for the 2019 edition of the famous Flemington two-mile handicap.

But Hickmott confirmed to stewards on Wednesday that the 4-year-old has suffered an off fore tendon injury and will be spelled.

Suman Hedge, who sourced Schabau out of Germany and is one of his owners, later confirmed that the injury would rule him out o the spring and that the 2020 Melbourne Cup was his new target.

Sasso shooting for black type

Sasso Corbaro (All Too Hard) was sent to New Zealand to secure some black type and gets her chance to do that for new trainer Jamie Richards in the Listed Gavelhouse.com Lightning Handicap (1200m) at Trentham on Saturday.

An impressive winner on debut for Richards over 1200m at Otaki last month, Sasso Corbaro steps up to stakes company for the fourth time in her career for her owners at China Horse Club.

Richards is not sure how she will fare but figures it’s worth a shot with a mare in form.

Sasso Corbaro

“I thought it was a pretty strong rendition of the race, not often do you get those 100 raters in there,” he said.

“We are looking forward to the challenge, she is down in the weights and hopefully she can be competitive."

“When you are a rating 83 mare, Princess Kereru (NZ) (Pins) is in there rated 97, and you give them three kilos, it makes it hard to compete.”

"She’s good,” he said. “She just did some nice easy work at Matamata on Tuesday morning. I don’t think she takes a lot of work. She seems to race well on the fresh side.”

Cressfield farewells Snowdrift

Influential imported mare Snowdrift (Fr) (Polish Precedent {USA}) has died in a paddock accident.

The 26-year-old mare, the dam of Group 1 winner Snowland (Snippets) as well as stakes-winning pair Portillo (Red Ransom {USA}) and Snippetson (Snippets), will be laid to rest at her home at Cressfield.

She arrived in Australia in early 1998 having been bought out of the Tattersalls December Mares Sale by Kieran Moore Bloodstock. Her first foal was Snowland, who would win nine of 17 starts before becoming a stallion in his own right, making her as a broodmare.

She was sold twice more as a broodmare, for $1.5m in 2005 and then again for $775,000 in 2010.

Her third foal Snippetson, a winner of four races, would also become a stallion, still stands at Scenic Lodge Thoroughbred Stud and has had 11 stakes winners to date.

Her final foal Snowzone (Snitzel) is now a 2-year-old with Kris Lees, while her second last foal, Vermont (Exceed and Excel) runs his second race for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott at Goulburn on Thursday.

Folk rehearsal for Sires

Coolmore-owned filly Folk Dress (Pierro) is being aimed towards the G1 Courtesy Ford Manawatu Sires’ Produce S. after breaking through for her first win in the Matley Financial Services 1200 at Matamata.

Prepared by Jamie Richards, the promising filly had plenty up her sleeve, winning by 1.5l in her third trip to the races.

"It was a lovely ride, as you come to expect from him (Opie Bosson),” Richards said. “That’s why he is the best in the business and he gave her every chance. I thought she quickened up nicely and she’s going the right way.”

“We won the race last year with a horse called Handsome Rebel (Denman) who came out and ran fourth in the Sires’ and put in a really good performance.”.

“There is no rush with her. She’s a good filly to have in work for Coolmore and they let us pick and choose where we want to go.”

The G1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce S. will be run at Awapuni on March 30.

Folk Dress

Tapit 2-year-old fetches OBS March record

A Tapit (USA) colt sold for a Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company March Sale record of US$2 million on the opening day of the Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale in Florida.

The price for the colt out of Artemis Agrotera (USA) (Roman Ruler {USA}) was the second highest ever at any OBS sale and got the sale off to a very strong start. Consigned by Becky Thomas’s Sequel Bloodstock on behalf of breeders Chester and Mary Broman, the colt, who breezed up in 10.20s, was purchased by West Point Thoroughbreds, Rob Masiello and Siena Farm with the Bromans to retain a one-third interest.

The second highest price in the opening session was paid for a Pioneerof the Nile (USA) colt out of Golden Artemis (USA) (Malibu Moon {USA}) offered by Hoby and Layna Kight. OXO Equine paid $1.2m.

The colt's half-sister, My Conquestadory (USA), is currently at Newgate in Australia and is in foal to Russian Revolution (Snitzel). My Conquestadory's first foal Bourbon War (USA) (Tapit {USA}) is currently on the Kentucky Derby trail, most recently finishing 2nd in the G2 Fountain of Youth S.

“I thought it was a very good day,” said OBS director of sales Tod Wojciechowski. “There were some very nice horses up today and the consignors were well-rewarded for those horses. Whether a horse is ready early [for the March sale], needs more time or even waits until June, if you bring a quality horse to market, people will reward you for it, no matter what sale.”

NZ push for Jericho Cup

Looking to broaden the appeal of the second edition of the Jericho Cup, Racing Victoria confirmed that a new two-mile race held at Taranaki on September 28 will act as a qualifier for the $300,000 race.

The winner of the race will gain exemption from the Jericho Cup ballot while the minor placegetters will gain double points, making it one of seven races that offer above the usual 3-2-1 scoring system.

In another change to the Jericho Cup qualifying system, horses are eligible to gain points, on a 3-2-1 basis on New Zealand flat races run over 3000m and further.

The Jericho Cup, which was first run on the desert sands of Palestine just outside the city of Jericho in 1918, commemorates Australia and New Zealand's light-horse involvement in World War I.

The 4600m race was first run at Warrnambool last December and is the brainchild of Victorian philanthropist and amateur war historian Bill Gibbins.