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By Ray Hickson

Trainer Kacy Fogden is adamant there’s more to star colt Best Of Bordeaux than his pace but she won’t be changing anything when the Golden Slipper runner-up makes his long awaited return at Rosehill on Saturday.

Trainer Kacy Fogden (Pic: Steve Hart)

Best Of Bordeaux, racing in the Coolmore colours for the first time, looms large over the Group 3 $200,000 Furphy San Domenico Stakes (1100m) and, given his status as one of the leading colts of his year, a lot rides on his performance this season.

With a solid grounding into his first three-year-old assignment, Fogden said she sees no point in being negative about an awkward barrier and expects him to be ridden to his strengths.

“What I like about him is he has that natural free running speed and that’s his asset,’’ she said.

“I do believe he will get further but I think it would be a shame to not let him run the way he runs and try to ride him negatively. While he is the way he is just let him be fast.

“If we can get a bit of luck from the barrier I’m sure he will run well.”

In his two-year-old campaign, Best Of Bordeaux scored all the way wins in the Group 3 Canonbury Stakes and Group 2 Silver Slipper before his gallant second behind Fireburn in the Golden Slipper.

James McDonald has his first race ride on the colt, $2.40 with TAB on Thursday, in the San Domenico but has been on board in both trials, the latest an easy two length win in a 1000m heat at Rosehill on August 12.

Fogden said the horse has filled out and strengthened with his break and is looking forward to seeing where the spring takes him.

“I’m just excited to see him back, it feels like we’ve been waiting forever,’’ she said.

“We’ve been patient with him, he’s had a very nice prep and it’s nice to see him back at the races.

“He’s quite a clean winded, fit, forward colt naturally so when it comes to his work at home you don’t exactly have to do too much with him.

“He knows when those blinkers go on when it’s trial day or race day he has a job to do. He’s just a really nice colt to have in work, he’s very manageable at home and makes it quite easy.”

As far as the spring is concerned the only race locked in so far is Best Of Bordeaux’s second-up run which is the Group 2 Run To The Rose (1200m) on September 10.

That fork in the road could decide whether he is worthy of a TAB Everest start, given Coolmore is yet to fill their slot, or he sticks to his own age. He’s $15 in TAB’s Everest all-in market.

“A lot of people are asking what his target race is but I think it is too early to tell what way we go,’’ Fogden said.

Best Of Bordeaux wins a trial at Rosehill on August 12

“I think it depends on how he goes and how he lives up to my expectations. It’ll be a nice long prep and there are plenty of races to come for him.”

Stablemate Maotai is not a certain starter at Rosehill on Saturday with Fodgen weighing up whether to run in the Fujitsu General Handicap (1200m) or wait for a race in a couple of weeks.

The four-year-old kept his unbeaten record intact when he won first-up at Randwick earlier this month, his first run as a gelding, but has a tricky gate and map to contend with on Saturday.

“I’d like to see consistency from him this preparation,’’ she said.

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday's Rosehill Gardens meeting