Rosehill Guineas winner D’Argento will head to the Epsom Handicap after competing in the Group 2 $200,000 Theo Marks Stakes (1300m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
D’Argento, above, is one of the top fancies in thee 2018 Theo Marks Stakes at Rosehill. Photo by Steve Hart.
Trainer Chris Waller said that that Theo Marks Stakes was a very suitable lead up race for D’Argento who is the pre-post $6 favourite at Ladbrokes.com.au for the Group 1 $1m Epsom Handicap (1600m) at Randwick on September 29.
“He did win the Rosehill Guineas over 2000 (metres) but I don’t have him down as a middle distance horse yet,” Waller told RSN927’s Racing Pulse.
“I’ve got him as a sprinter-miler.
“The reason we chose this race is because I think he’s one of our main chances in the Epsom. As a four-year-old that just has won one group 1 race, he’ll still get in fairly at the weights so I needed to find a race to get him to the Epsom and this is the right race. Three weeks in.”
D’Argento was rewarded for his consistency during the 2018 Sydney Autumn Carnival with a win in the Group 1 $600,000 Sky Racing Rosehill Guineas (2000m) at Rosehill before running fourth to Happy Clapper in the Group 1 $3m The Star Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Randwick on Day One of The Championships.
The So You Think four year old resumed from a break for a third to his super star stablemate Winx in the Group 1 $500,000 Winx Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on August 18 and is in fine shape to tackle a handy field of sprinters in the Theo Marks Stakes.
Rosehill Guineas winning rider Hugh Bowman finds himself back aboard D’Argento who has drawn nicely at barrier four in the eight horse Theo Marks Stakes field.
D’Argento is sharing favouritism at $3 with the Gerald Ryan trained Trapeze Artist at Ladbrokes.com.au for the Theo Marks Stakes ahead of Siege Of Quebec at $4.40 and Home Of The Brave at $5.50.
Waller will also saddle up Foxplay ($17) and Shillelagh ($21) in the Theo Marks Stakes.
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