Racing: Rose key to early spring bloomers

SYDNEY - The A$1 million ($1.2 million) Golden Rose again looks set to become one of the form three-year-old races of the spring after attracting a stellar line-up headed by group one winners Mentality and Excites.

A full field of 16 and one emergency were yesterday paid up for the 1400m Rosehill feature including iron filly Gold Edition and promising colt Court Command, both impressive winners at Randwick last Saturday.

Headline gallopers Paratroopers and Racing To Win finished first and second in the race last year and trainer Anthony Cummings, who will start Casino Prince, expects the form out of this year's version to again stack up.

"It has been a great innovation from the Sydney Turf Club and has proven to be one of the best form guides into the spring," Cummings said.

"It is one of the best markers of emerging group one horses on the racing calendar."

In Top Swing won the inaugural running of the Golden Rose and went on to snare the group one Caulfield Guineas later that spring.

It is a path trainer Guy Walter is hoping to tread with Sires' Produce Stakes winner Excites.

He will tackle Saturday's group three race second-up after holding his own against the older horses when fourth to Paratroopers in the Premiere Stakes earlier this month.

Walter has deliberately kept the colt fresh and was pleased with his draw in barrier six.

"Excites ran a nice race over 1200 metres and he will need to be relatively fresh for the 1400 around Rosehill, which I think he is," Walter said.

"He's drawn a good barrier and I'm happy about that. I think it's a very open race."

Excites will be ridden by Zac Purton.

Tab Sportsbet opened betting on the Golden Rose yesterday and had Excites at $6 with Run To The Rose winner Mentality favourite at $3.50 ahead of Gold Edition at $5.50 while Court Command was at $7.50.

* Last year's Stradbroke Handicap winner St Basil has made a quick recovery from a minor foot injury and will make his comeback in the Roman General Handicap (1400m) at Rosehill in Sydney on Saturday.

St Basil was due to make his return in the group two Warwick Stakes (1400m) at Randwick last Saturday but was scratched after a shoe shifted in trackwork.