Marsh colts set to take on Sydney champion

[Chief Stipe]

Trainer Stephen Marsh will have a dual-pronged attack on tomorrow’s Rosehill Guineas, with New Zealand Derby winner Crown Prosecutor and Group One-placed colt Vernanme set to take on highly touted local colt The Autumn Sun.

Marsh’s pair will join fellow New Zealand-trained three-year-olds Madison County, Surely Sacred and Arrogant, while additional New Zealand-bred runners include Purple Sector (by Pins) and Tavistock three-year-olds Yulong Tavion and Ablestock.

Marsh is pleased with how his duo have settled in and the Cambridge horseman is upbeat about their chances.

“They both travelled over really well, they got here last Saturday,” Marsh said. “They had a nice gallop on Tuesday and basically ran up the straight on Thursday morning. They’re in great order. I couldn’t fault them.”

While Vernanme was always earmarked for the Rosehill Guineas, Marsh had initially intended using the Gr. 2 Tulloch Stakes at Randwick next week as Crown Prosecutor’s stepping stone to the Australian Derby on April 6.

“With the rain around we thought the Guineas might come up a bit weaker and it certainly opens the race up,” Marsh said. “The likes of The Autumn Sun and a few others are stepping up to 2000 metres for the first time whereas we are hard fit.

“We have just gone from 2400 back to 2000 metreds, so I think we have got a few things in our favour.

“It is certainly great to have James McDonald on, we didn’t have a rider until the acceptances and we are lucky enough that his horse didn’t pay up. We have ended up with the best and gate 13 won’t be a problem.”

Marsh suggests punters disregard Vernanme’s ninth placing in the New Zealand Derby, when the brother to Australian Derby winner Shamrocker found trouble throughout the running.

“Nothing went right in the Derby, he never really got into a rhythm,” Marsh said. “I think it’s just a race to forget, but his runs previous to that were outstanding. Probably the question mark with him is the track, we don’t really know if he is going to cop it to this extent (heavy8 on Friday morning) but he is very well in himself.

“He has Opie (Bosson) on and has drawn nicely and the track should still be playing fair by race four, so he is going to get a gun run in behind the speed and being a 13-horse field he is not going to get too far back.”

With a large Kiwi contingent in the field, Marsh is confident he and his compatriots can take the race to Chris Waller’s boom colt The Autumn Sun.

“Half the field are Kiwis so it would be nice to get a Kiwi result, especially a Cambridge one,” Marsh said. “I think the Kiwi horses are all good chances, they are all going well and it is good seeing a strong Kiwi contingent over here trying to get some of this Australian money.”

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