There were some interesting heats at Rosehill on Monday with a couple of key winners trained by Bjorn Baker and a couple of stallion prospects looking to get back on track this spring.
Six year-old Vancouver gelding Overpass disappointed in last year’s Everest, but won both of his subsequent starts in Western Australia in the Group I WATC Winterbottom Stakes in December and then the $5million Quokka in April.
The $7.7million earner looked big, strong and ready to roll with a bold all the way win in his 900m heat beating stable mate Passeggiata by three lengths.
Also from the Bjorn Baker stable was three year-old Zoustar gelding Olufsen, the full brother to the former stable star Ozzmosis, who is busy covering his first book of mares at Newgate Farm this spring after winning the Group I VRC Coolmore Stud Stakes.
Olufsen was having his first ever trial and it was a very un-Baker like trial in that he settled at the rear from a wide draw and was allowed to sit quietly before surging home along the fence to score a narrow win.
Olufsen was passed in at Magic Millions shy of his $250,000 reserve and runs for a syndicate that includes his breeder China Horse Club and Darby Racing and their owners, who had so much success with his full brother Ozzmosis.
James Harron Bloodstock have had some disappointment this week with news Espionage will not race this spring due to injury, but another of their stakes-winning colts from last season in Bodyguard shaped well in his first trial back winning by six lengths.
Trained by Peter and Paul Snowden, Bodyguard will be looking to improve on his record to date of two stakes wins from four starts and has not been seen since finishing unplaced in the Golden Slipper.
Widden Stud bought into talented I Am Invincible colt I Am Unstoppable after his strong efforts last spring to be placed in all the big colts sprint races down south including a second in the Group I VRC Coolmore Stud Stakes. No further progress was made in the autumn and he is now with Ciaron Maher and was having his second trial when working to the line to win by half a length.
Also in this trial were Group I winner Lindermann under a stranglehold and looking like he wanted to do a lot more and Extreme Choice filly Extremely Hardys, who created a huge impression when bolting in at Canterbury in July by six lengths on debut. Chris Waller has a lot of nice three year-old fillies and Extremely Hardys is one of them.
Click here for all the trials at Breednet with Sale Mail and at Racing NSW with video.
