3 minute read
By Michael Wrona, International Racing Expert
An eye-watering AU$87 million will be distributed to the owners of many of Australia's best thoroughbreds during the "Everest Carnival," a series of Friday night cards in Sydney that includes the world's richest turf race, The Everest (AU$20 million), on October 18. This Friday's feature, the $1 million Golden Rose, boasts a dazzling array of exciting 3-year-olds. The Coolmore-owned Storm Boy (by Justify) will battle a pair of Godolphin standouts, Broadsiding and Traffic Warden, in the 7-furlong "stallion-making" race. Rosehill's 10-race card features the usual large fields and excellent wagering value that make Australian racing so attractive to bettors: the average win odds on all Aussie races offered in North America over the past 12 months is +700 (7-1). Friday night's first post in Sydney is 9:55 Eastern / 6:55 Pacific, watch live on skyracingworld.com and FanDuel TV.
American Triple Crown winner Justify made an immediate impact globally as a sire, and Coolmore won a heated battle to purchase his Australian son, Storm Boy, halfway through his outstanding juvenile season (August – July in the southern hemisphere). The colt's first start as a 3-year-old resulted in a brilliant victory on August 30 in the G3 San Domenico Stakes at 5-1/2 furlongs. He then lost no admirers when a brave 3rd, after being slowly away and doing plenty of extra work, in the G2 Run to the Rose at 6 furlongs on September 13. However, Storm Boy also cost himself at the start of the Golden Slipper in March, when 3rd as favorite in the world's richest 2-year-old race. Storm Boy (4-1) needs to be sharper exiting the outside gate in Friday night's Golden Rose (Race 8), as his two Godolphin-owned rivals are proven, high-quality colts.
Broadsiding (by another headline sire globally, Too Darn Hot) is the favorite to be crowned Australian Champion 2-Year-Old, after rattling off four straight wins to finish the season. He twice won at Group 1 level going a mile, and recorded a Group 2 victory at the Golden Rose's 7-furlong distance. While Broadsiding (2-1 favorite) takes on the Golden Rose following a 3-month hiatus, stablemate Traffic Warden (3-1) resumed from a layoff when upsetting Storm Boy in the aforementioned Run to the Rose two weeks ago. This was the second Group 2 success for the son of Street Boss, who is also Group 1-placed.
Linebacker tackles the Golden Rose in the wake of an eye-catching 4th in the 6-furlong Run to the Rose, finding the finish line strongly in his seasonal debut. In only three starts as a juvenile, Linebacker notably beat Broadsiding in a Group 3 race at 7 furlongs, before the result was reversed in a one-mile Group 1 contest. The lightly raced Linebacker (5-1) has enormous upside, given his lack of experience compared to the other leading contenders.
Apart from pocketing the lion's share of a million-dollar purse, the Golden Rose winner will significantly increase his value a stallion prospect. Additionally, he will warrant serious consideration as a potential starter in The Everest. The world's richest turf race, at 6 furlongs on October 18, has a "slot holder" format. Godolphin and Coolmore each owns a slot and are yet to decide their representative. Several other slots are still up for grabs, should a horse not owned by the global behemoths put himself in the "store window" with a Golden Rose upset on Friday night. The Group 1 feature race is supported by a pair of Group 2 races, plus a Group 3 and a Listed stakes – at distances ranging from 5-1/2 furlongs to 1-1/2 miles. I'll be in the FanDuel TV studio from 8:00 - 11:00 p.m. Pacific.
The Rosehill card will be broadcast live on FanDuel TV this Friday night (First Post: 9:55 p.m. ET / 6:55 p.m. PT) alongside cards from Eagle Farm, Kembla Grange, Mackay and Belmont. All races will be live-streamed in HD on the Sky Racing World App, skyracingworld.com and major ADW platforms such as TVG, TwinSpires, Xpressbet, NYRABets, WatchandWager, HPIbet, FanDuel and AmWager. Wagering is also available via these ADW platforms. Fans can get free access to live-streaming, past performances, and expert picks on all races at skyracingworld.com.
About Michael Wrona
A native of Brisbane, Australia, Michael Wrona has called races in six countries. Michael's vast U.S. experience includes; race calling at Los Alamitos, Hollywood Park, Arlington and Santa Anita, calling the 2000 Preakness on a national radio network and the 2016 Breeders' Cup on the International simulcast network. Michael also performed a race call voiceover for a Seinfeld episode called The Subway.