Latest News

By Ray Hickson

She has a run of seconds against her name but trainer Peter Snowden feels when that changes for consistent mare La Roja she’s going to climb the ranks quickly.

Trainer Peter Snowden (Pic: Bradley Photos)

The four-year-old has won two of her 13 starts, with five seconds including her last four on end, and after being saved from Hawkesbury last week fronts up in the Railway Hotel Gosford Handicap (1200m) on Saturday.

Snowden said the form around her is good, she was runner-up to subsequent Group winner Cinsault before a close second to Captain Furai, twice a winner since, for her return to racing.

“I reckon in the next 12 to 18 months when she strikes winning form she will go right on with it,’’ Snowden said.

“She’s always shown ability but lacked a bit of grit and physical toughness.

“She’s a stronger mare now so I’m hoping with that bit of strength, she’s only being beaten by short heads and half lengths, she doesn’t have to improve much to get a win.”

La Roja, $4.60 with TAB on Thursday, was an acceptor for the Group 3 Hawkesbury Crown but Snowden elected to wait after the race didn’t appear to favour her.

He feels Gosford does favour her so will carry some expectation into the race.

“I’m glad I didn’t run her last week. I was hoping for a better gate at Gosford and we got it so I’m happy about that,’’ he said.

Snowden has his eye on the Stradbroke Handicap for classy sprinter King Of Roseau so he’d like to see a more than handy return in the Listed $250,000 De Bortoli Wines Takeover Target Stakes (1200m).

The gelding hasn’t raced since he won the Group 3 Liverpool City Cup back at the end of February and Snowden elected to keep him in NSW after drawing wide at the Gold Coast.

“He had 60kg in both places, he was drawn bad at the Gold Coast and he’s giving two thirds of the field up to 8kg and I thought he’s going to back or get caught wide and have a hard run,’’ he said.

“I don’t want him having a gutbuster first-up so it was the right way to go.

“He’s got some good form behind him, he’s beating some handy horses and running time.

“There’s been a lot to like about the wins he’s had and the way he’s won them.”

Kerrin McEvoy took King Of Roseau through his paces in trackwork this week to get a feel for the gelding ahead of the Takeover Target.

Snowden said he’d expect the gelding to find a spot midfield and be able to go from Gosford to his planned lead up in the Kingsford Smith Cup.

“I don’t think he will be too far back, he’s a bit fresher than normal at the moment and there’s not an enormous about of speed there,’’ he said.

“Now is the time to have a crack at a Stradbroke. A 110 rated horse can still get a winnable weight but he’s got to get through his next couple of starts.

“No doubt about it he will run well on Saturday then we’ll wait the three weeks.”

La Roja runs third in a Rosehill trial on April 17

Unspoken faces a fork in the road with Snowden saying he’ll need to show something in the Listed $300,000 Guardian Safety Solutions Gosford Gold Cup (2100m) to stave off retirement while there's a chance stablemate Touristic could be saved to look for a wet track.

He said the Cup is a perfect race for Touristic, who won the Canberra Cup on a soft track, except for the likely dry conditions.

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday’s Gosford meeting