Nash Rawiller’s association with the Queen’s horse Carlton House is set to be a stop-gap one but he is relishing the opportunity to warm the saddle at Rosehill on Saturday.
Carlton House has top weight of 61kg in the Listed Parramatta Cup, prompting Gai Waterhouse to engage her former No.1 stable rider and heavyweight jockey, rather than incumbent Tommy Berry.
“He’s not carrying too much dead weight (with Rawiller),” Waterhouse said.
“But Tommy will be back on him next time.”
Berry was in the saddle for the horse’s first-up ninth to Appearance over 1200 metres in the Expressway Stakes.
He steps up to 1900 metres on Saturday, the longest distance he has tackled in Australia and in the vicinity of the trips over which he has scored Group victories in England.
Rawiller is rapt to have picked up the Parramatta Cup mount and says the horse has a strong fitness foundation, achieved through a number of exhibition gallops before his return.
“He hasn’t really raced over a suitable trip in Australia yet,” Rawiller said.
“He’s second-up but he’s pretty fit, he’s had lots of gallops between races.
“I’m really looking forward to it. He’s fit and well.”
Waterhouse and Rawiller will also team up with Law in the Group Two Silver Slipper, a race the trainer will be trying to win for the third successive year following victories by Sweet Idea and Pierro.
Law will be one of two Tulloch Lodge runners along with Hampton Court who comes to the two-year-old race after being beaten as favourite at Canterbury on debut.
Among their rivals will be the Bjorn Baker-trained Unencumbered who will race for the first time since his Magic Millions victory in January.
A field of seven will line up in the Group Two Millie Fox Stakes, a race bonny mare Red Tracer will be striving to win for the third consecutive year.
With 59kg she has 1kg more than last year and trainer Chris Waller believes she has returned as well as ever.
“She’s not fully wound up yet. I want her to be there for the Queen Of The Turf Stakes at the end of the carnival but her ability will take her a long way,” Waller said.
