Latest News

By Ray Hickson

On one hand Call Di looks extremely well placed in Saturday’s Group 2 $500,000 James Squire Hot Danish Stakes (1400m) but on the other she’s very poorly weighted.

Trainer Sterling Alexiou (Pic: Grant Guy)

That’s the conundrum co-trainer Sterling Alexiou raised when discussing the blueblood’s chances of breaking through for her second career win at Rosehill.

After a Group 2 placing in the Tristarc Stakes at Caulfield three weeks ago, Call Di’s rating lifted to 84 but under the set weights conditions of the Hot Danish she’s on equal weights with Group 1 winner Royal Merchant (108 rating) and Group 1 placed Roots (105).

“If you’re a weights and measures person you probably couldn’t have her, Ciaron’s mare should be giving her about 12kg and Roots should be giving her weight too, but it doesn’t look a race of great depth,’’ Alexiou said.

“It looks a good race for her on paper. She’s in good form, she’s been finding a bit of bad luck and hopefully she finds good luck on Saturday.”

The four-year-old, a daughter of Frankel and former topliner Samantha Miss, was $3 with TAB on Thursday despite having only won one from 10 but part of the reason Alexiou feels she’s well placed is a noticeable lack of a leader engaged.

She was due to run at Flemington on Tuesday but when she drew wide there Alexiou said he and co-trainer Gerald Ryan elected to refocus on the Hot Danish which was looking like a smaller field.

“When she was dealt an ordinary barrier we made an early decision to pull up stumps and come back for this race,’’ he said.

“We didn’t want to be tempted from a wide gate because she’s been finding bad luck.

“It looks a race devoid of a specific on speed horse. She’s led and raced prominently before and Nash (Rawiller) will have options from the barrier.

“She’s been racing super consistent and I’m sure a win is not far away.”

The Ryan and Alexiou stable produce two progressive front-running types both chasing hat-tricks when Gustosisimo runs in the Rosehill Bowling Club Handicap (1200m) and Eagle Nest lines up in the TAB Handicap (1100m).

Gustosisimo returned as a gelding this preparation and has recorded two easy wins and Alexiou is adamant there are more steps the three-year-old can take.

“We’ve had a pretty fair opinion of him, we deep ended him in his first start,’’ he said.

“He’s been very well placed this time in and although it’s a big jump to Saturday grade he will race prominent from the wide-ish draw and I’m sure he will be there for a long way.

“It looks a race where a few of the others may have found where they sit. I’m sure the best is still ahead of our horse, he’s still learning and has a lot of improvement in manners and race sense.

Wrote To Arataki leads all the way in the Tristarc!

Well deserved Group 2 win for the mare. 💥@mwracing3638 pic.twitter.com/EceuyZBYm4

— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) October 21, 2023

“He can’t do anything but run really well.”

He also can’t fault the way Eagle Nest is coming through her grades and though it’s a quick turnaround from her second-up win Alexiou is confident she can handle it.

“It’d be our only question mark, we’ve nursed her through three or four week breaks to her next run,’’ he said.

“But she’s pulled up that well and is in such a rich vein of confidence it’s hard not to enter and think about running her. She’s in form and generally mares they hold that form.”

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