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By Ray Hickson

Stablemates Gold Standard and Siege Of Quebec are flying under the radar as Golden Rose prospects but co-trainer Adrian Bott believes that can change at Rosehill on Saturday.

And jockey Josh Parr will have a big say in determining those chances as he partners Gold Standard in the Group 2 $200,000 Stan Fox Stakes (1500m) then rides favourite Menari against Siege Of Quebec in a cracking Group 2 $200,000 Run To The Rose (1200m).

Gold Standard, a $26 Golden Rose chance, blew the start in the Up And Coming Stakes last month and that could have been the difference between winning and eventually running second to Dracarys in track record time.

“It was a very good run and that of a horse that is improving,’’ Bott said.

“Unfortunately he was a little slow to begin but he was able to settle in a good position. I love the turn of foot that he showed and I think the form out of the race will stand up.’’

Data from Punter’s Intel shows that Gold Standard had to work hard in the early stages to pick up ground lost from the slow start – he ran 10.81 from the 1200m to the 1000m and 10.96 from the 1000m to the 800m.

Gold Standard runs second to Dracarys at Randwick – August 19

Bott said a Golden Rose start is very much on the cards for Gold Standard if he performs to expectation.

“The most important factor for him is he will appreciate stepping up to 1500m,’’ he said.

“The Golden Rose is firmly in our minds. A top placing in the Stan Fox would see him able to stamp himself as a genuine contender because in our eyes he is.’’

Much like Gold Standard, a lot of the damage in Siege Of Quebec’s second behind Menari in the Rosebud on August 12 was done in the early stages as he was hard ridden to hold the lead.

Between the 1000m and the 800m, according to Punter’s Intel data, he ran 10.38 and then 10.69 between the 800m and the 600m but had the audacity to fight on.

“It was a huge effort in the Rosebud to drop back from 1400m to 1100m in a short amount of time,’’ Bott said.

“It showed the class the horse has. It was a high pressure race and he was entitled to put up the white flag but time and time again we’ve seen how tough he is.

“He ran into a better horse in the day that was able to sprint well fresh.

“Obviously Menari and Pariah are the ones to beat. They’ve had a little more experience under their belts than what we have but I don’t see why the huge discrepancy in the market.’’

Strangely, Siege Of Quebec is considered a $15 chance to win the Golden Rose with TAB Fixed Odds but an $11 chance to take out Saturday’s Run To The Rose.

Bott admits he and Gai Waterhouse are throwing lightly raced mare Hussterical in the deep end in the Group 3 $150,000 Sheraco Stakes (1200m) but expects her to be up to stakes level this preparation.

Hussterical has won two barrier trials impressively but does have barrier 14 to contend with.

“On form it would read that she has been set a task but with good reason,’’ Bott said.

“We always thought she was black type quality, we’re probably testing that a bit sooner in her preparation but it’s a nice race to kick off in.

“Put a line through a couple of her wet track starts and her form on top of the ground is excellent.’’

All the fields, form and replays at Rosehill on Saturday