AAP
New Zealand trainer Stephen Marsh will rely on Ardrossan for the rest of the Sydney autumn carnival with the stable’s two three-year-olds to head home.
Marsh has pulled the pin in the Australian Derby for NZ Derby winner Crown Prosecutor and Vernanme after both failed to shine in Saturday’s Group One Rosehill Guineas (2000m).
“They’re both coming home for a spell,” Marsh told NZ Racing Desk.
“They’ll have a good break and we’ll look at spring racing for them.
“In Crown Prosecutor’s case, you’ll not see a lot of him in New Zealand next season as he’ll go over to Australia early in his next campaign.
“He’s done a good job and we had a crack in Sydney, but he’s ready for a spell now, while Vernanme is a horse with a future, too.”
The trainer is hoping to have better luck with Ardrossan in Saturday’s Group Three Kingdom Stakes (1200m).
Ardrossan missed his planned first-up run in the Canterbury Stakes wiht a high temperature but showed he was back on track when second in an open 801m-trial at Warwick Farm last Friday.
”He got crook on the way over and he missed a bit of work after that,” Marsh said.
”He’s a good-doing bugger and he needed a hit-out so we ran him in the trial last Friday. James McDonald rode him and he was happy with the way he felt and ran.
”This race on Saturday will tighten him up again and there’s the Queensland carnival just around the corner, so we could look at that.
”He wants a good track to show his best and that’s a bit of a worry the way the weather has been in Sydney lately.”
