A collection of colts who spent time at the head of Golden Slipper betting last season are a chance to square off in this season’s San Domenico Stakes at Rosehill.
Storm Boy and Shangri La Express are among four nominations for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott in the $250,000 Group 3, while Chris Waller has entered valuable Snitzel colt Switzerland.
Waller also has brilliant The Rosebud winner Gatsby’s entered for the 1100-metre event and will study the nominations before deciding who represents Sydney’s leading stable.
“Gatsby’s has pulled up well and taken improvement from the run,” Waller said.
“Switzerland has come back really well, so it will be one of the two.”
Gatsby’s raced to the third line of Golden Rose betting after his first-up success on August 17, but Switzerland has not started since his unbeaten run came to an end when eighth in the Golden Slipper.
The $1.5m yearling has trialled twice over 900m at Rosehill in August, finishing fourth on each occasion.
“He is ready to go, he has had two trials,” Waller said.
“We have not pushed him in his trials as he has a long way to go for the spring.
“We have kept him nice and fresh.”
Switzerland is raced by a group headed by up Coolmore, which is now managing part-owner of Storm Boy, who won 850m trials at Randwick on August 5 and 19.
The son of Justify, who is $6 second favourite for the Golden Rose behind $4 top pick Broadsiding, also saw his unbeaten run halted in the Golden Slipper, when third, and he has not started since his fourth placing in the ATC Sires’.
“We will decide on Tuesday, but he’s a big chance to run,” Bott said.
“He trialled well and he has improved nicely.”
Mayfair and Anode are Bott and Waterhouse’s other entries for what is one of two $250,000 Group 3s for the three-year-olds at Rosehill.
The meeting also features the Up And Coming Stakes (1300m), which is headlined by Waller’s blueblood filly Autumn Glow.
