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By Ray Hickson

It’s no surprise that two-time champion Front Page heads trainer Matthew Dale’s list of hopefuls for this year’s $2 million The Kosciuszko but he’ll produce a mare on Saturday at Rosehill he’d like to think can make it to Randwick come October 18.

Matthew Dale with Kosciuszko champion Front Page (Pic: Bradley Photos).

Her name is West Of Dalby and she’ll be second-up in a Benchmark 78 for fillies and mares over 1100m on the back of a fresh performance Dale says couldn’t have pleased him more.

While Front Page, current pre-noms favourite at $4 with TAB as ticket sales opened on Tuesday, can be expected to be selected for his fourth attempt Dale knows you can’t take anything for granted when it comes to The Kosciuszko.

As he’s done for the past three years, for two wins then a second in 2024, Front Page will tackle the race first-up.

“He’s had a ripping preparation in four runs, a narrow defeat in the Group 1 Galaxy and a solid win in a Group 2 in Brisbane,’’ Dale said.

“He’s eight years old but he’s had a really good prep and a good last 12 months and we see no reason why he won’t come up again for the Kosciuszko.

“You just never know who draws the tickets and how it all unfolds but I’ve got a number of horses I’ve put in line for the race.”

West Of Dalby, who won a Listed race in December 2023 when trained by Ben Smith, had her second start for Dale when she resumed at Randwick two weeks ago with a close up fourth in a 1000m dash behind Lulumon.

He said it’s still incumbent on the mare to prove herself worthy of being aimed at the Kosciuszko and all the signs point to her backing up that fresh effort regardless of the track condition.

“I thought she returned in great order, she’s a stakes winning three-year-old filly who lost her way a bit,’’ he said.

“We purchased her from a breeding sale and gave her one run but she just didn’t come up and needed a longer break.

“It was just wanted I wanted to see, I didn’t expect her to win but I wanted to see she wanted to be back at the races. She’s effective on wet tracks and it possibly even assists her.

“So I was rapt with her first-up, she couldn’t have gone any better. If she can continue on that, and we’ll get an idea on Saturday, then she can be thrown in the mix.”

Grey mare Martini Mumma contested the Kosciuszko last year, running tenth behind Far Too Easy, but Dale has her on notice to show a return to form in the TAB Highway (1200m) at Rosehill on Saturday where he’s booked Braith Nock to ride.

She disappointed the Goulburn trainer with both her runs this year.

“She’s had a number of different issues throughout her career and when she was a three-year-old she’d run straight through those issues,’’ Dale said.

“Now she’s reserving herself a little bit. The Highway will tell me where she sits. I don’t want to throw her name up at the moment, she’s got to do it herself.

“She has that potential but she hasn’t executed it for a little while.”

Dale said Boston Rocks, Danny’s St Darci and Gravina will all be up and racing before the close of ticket sales to press their cases for The Kosciuszko.

Boston Rocks was set specifically for the race following wins at Rosehill in February and Moonee Valley in March, where in the latter he proved to Dale a strong 1200m is within his powers.

West Of Dalby runs fourth at Randwick on June 21

“That solid Saturday grade/black type horse is what you need in a Kosciuszko and that’s what I look for, unless you have a horse really out of the box coming through,’’ he said.

“He’ll have a run or two before the tickets are drawn.

“He raced through the grades pretty quick and that sort of stymied him until he sorted out his race craft. He’s been beaten two lengths to Briasa so he has good form around him.”

Danny’s St Darci, a Listed winner in December and multiple Group placed in the spring, is set to resume in July while Wagga Town Plate runner-up Gravina will reappear closer to the September 10 ticket sale cut off.

Tickets are on sale now for The Kosciuszko via this link