The $250,000 Group III ATC Up and Coming Stakes (1300m) at Rosehill on Saturday is a race well named with a field of eight colts and geldings set to line up and while none are stakes-winners yet, one of them will be after the weekend.
It’s a very open race without a clear favourite and the Chris Waller stable appears to hold the key with four runners engaged and all of them are colts with high profile owners.
The Coolmore colours are on $1.4 million Wootton Bassett (GB) colt Central Coast and $1.9million Zoustar colt Fermoy, who is still a maiden after four starts.
The second foal of Champion 3YO Filly Sunlight, Central Coast was beaten on debut as favourite by his stablemate Autumn Boy, who then went to Queensland and won his next start in a Listed race.
Central Coast was then given the chance to break his maiden which he did so beating Crossbow, who then went to Melbourne where he won at Flemington.
He definitely has talent and 1300m looks a nice trip for him.
Flying Artie colt Sixties is the highest priced yearling by his sire ever sold fetching $350,000 at Inglis Easter as you might expect given he is a full brother to dual Group I winner Artorius, who stands at Newgate.
Running for Aramco Racing, Sixties has had three starts and shown big improvement with each outing culminating in a seven length maiden win last start at the Kensington track at Randwick on a heavy 9.
If he can make another jump forward as he has done previously, Sixties will put himself right in the picture.
$650,000 Magic Millions purchase Providence is another Wootton Bassett (GB) colt and this guy is a maiden that carries the Newgate China Horse Club colours.
He was fourth in the Group I BRC JJ Atkins and has the pedigree to suggest further will be better but the booking of James McDonald to ride and barrier five may well be significant.
Finishing right alongside Providence in the JJ Atkins was the Michael Freedman trained Ole Kirk gelding Aerodrome and he is also resuming from a spell and is drawn next to Providence in six.
He’s done more work at the trials that his rival and might be ready to fire first up and you just love backing a Gilgai Farm bred horse in a stakes race.
The Yulong juggernaut are also in the race with the Peter Snowden trained Written Tycoon colt Grand Prairie, who is out of their Group I winning I Am Invincible mare Viddora.
He brings race fitness to the table and was a close last start second in the Listed ATC Rosebud to Skyhook.
The two remaining runners are the most experienced in the Bjorn Baker trained Crown the King (one win and three placings from seven starts) and least experienced Tyreek, one start for a debut win at Canterbury for the O'Shea/Charlton stable.
By champion sire Snitzel from Group II winning Pierro mare Reelem in Ruby, Tyreek was a remarkably good buy for Champion Thoroughbreds snapped up for just $160,000 from the Yulong draft at Magic Millions.
He was one of the cheapest yearlings by his champion sire sold at the Gold Coast that year and has saleyard gift written all over him!
