The outsider of the three Chris Waller runners Lean Mean Machine entered calculations for the 2018 Golden Rose Stakes with a last to first win in the Group 2 $200,000 The Run To The Rose (1200m) at Rosehill today.
Lean Mean Machine,above, produced a last to first win in The Run To The Rose at Rosehill. Photo by Steve Hart.
Lean Mean Machine will now be one of the top chances in the Group 1 $1m De Bortoli Wines Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill in fortnight after beating his stablemates and his rivals at the double figure odds of $14.
The Waller trained Zousain was sent out as the second favourite at $4.80 to finish fourth while stablemate Performer ($6.50) never threatened to finish seventh.
After settling at the tail of the field on the heavy track, winning jockey Tye Angland was able to slice in between runners in the straight and Lean Mean Machine found the line strongly to beat the $3 favourite Graff by three quarters of a length.
Kerrin McEvoy set the pace on Jonker ($13) who fought on well in the run to the line to wind up in third spot.
Waller has a big opinion of Lean Mean Machine as does Angland who has been wrapped in the colt since riding him in a barrier trial in the lead up to The Run To The Rose.
“Tye (Angland) has been in love with him since he’s been involved with him, he rode him in a trial here one day and said he didn’t want to get on any other horse in the Spring, keep me on this horse and he was right,” Waller said.
“He’s obviously a very good horse and as we saw with his Dad Zoustar, he came back as a three-year-old and went to a whole new level and it looks like this boy has done the same.”
Waller said that Lean Mean Machine, Zousain and Performer as well The Autumn Sun would all be heading towards the Golden Rose Stakes in two weeks time.
“I wouldn’t be too disappointed with any of the horses beaten today, you can see some horses handle it (the heavy conditions), some don’t,” Waller said.
“Don’t lose faith in the beaten brigade, we certainly won’t be and I’d say in two weeks time it will be one hell of a race in the Golden Rose.”
“He (The Autumn Sun) was a bit stiff, I think it was a run of a winner so we won’t be changing track there, I think we have a number of nice horses going forward which is great.”
Graff is the current favourite at $5 for the Golden Rose Stakes with Ladbrokes.com.au while Lean Mean Machine, The Autumn Sun and Zousain are on the second line of betting at $8 with Performer marked at $16.
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