Percy Sykes Stakes winner Paris Dior will tackle the Group 1 Golden Rose after connections decided not to run her on a wet track in the Tea Rose Stakes at Randwick.
The filly was a race morning scratching from the third leg of the Princess Series, trainers Peter and Paul Snowden opting not to risk her on the soft 7 conditions after her tough first-up fourth in the Furious Stakes on heavy ground.
Peter Snowden said in hindsight, he wished he hadn’t run Paris Dior and stablemate Russian Conquest in the Furious, but the rapid deterioration of the track caught him by surprise.
“I should never have run them. I just didn’t believe it would be that bad,” Peter Snowden said.
“She couldn’t afford another gut buster.”
Snowden confirmed Paris Dior would instead take her place in the $1 million Golden Rose (1400m) at Rosehill next weekend for which she is a $21 chance and felt the extra week between runs would be to her advantage.
Meanwhile, the public will get a sneak peak at the next generation of youngsters when the Australian Turf Club hosts the first official set of two-year-old barrier trials at Randwick on Monday.
There will be 10 heats in total, six for the colts and geldings and four for the fillies as the most precocious babies compete for starts in the Breeders’ Plate and Gimcrack Stakes respectively.
The Snowdens traditionally have a strong hand at the annual trials and this year is no different with the father and son training partners set to send around 11 youngsters.
Peter Snowden is as interested as anyone to see how they respond to their first serious tests.
“It is early days yet so we will see how they trial first and how they get through that,” Snowden said.
“They’re going OK, no superstars but some nice horses there.”
The Team Snowden representation will include Godfather, an I Am Invincible colt out of Group 2 winner Meliora who was knocked down to James Harron for $1.1 million at the Magic Millions Yearling Sale.
He will step out in the same 850m heat as Kintyre, a Hallowed Crown half-brother and stablemate to the Gary Portelli-trained Golden Slipper winner Fireburn.
