Horses ready, it's carnival time
ROSEHILL Gardens' first involvement with the Sydney Carnival will be a trifecta of three major race meetings at the western Sydney racecourse.
The carnival kicks off with Ladies Day, then the Rosehill Guineas and finishes with the richest two-year-old race in the world, the Golden Slipper.
Rosehill-based trainer Michael Hawkes, of Hawkes Racing, said Rosehill was a great place to be during the Sydney Carnival.
"There has always been massive crowds and I think there always will be," Hawkes said.
"Race day at Rosehill during the carnival is a fantastic day out."
The Ladies Day feature race will be the $600,000 Group 1 Coolmore Classic and, of course, there will be the always popular Fashions on the Field parade.
Rosehill Guineas Day will be the second of the major meets to be held at the track with the day's feature race being the $500,000 Group 1 Rosehill Guineas.
Finally on April 7, the running of the Golden Slipper — the final leg of Rosehill Garden's Sydney Carnival — will get under way.
The Group 1 $3.5 million race is the premier race of the Sydney carnival and boasts previous winners including Miss Finland, Belle Du Jour, Sebring and last year's winner, Sepoy.
Hawkes said while it was unlikely any of the horses in his stable would contest the Golden Slipper, there were still plenty of races to target during the carnival.
"Probably All Too Hard is the only one that may be in the Slipper but even he is 50-50," Hawkes said. "We will probably look at the Doncaster for a horse like Love Conquers All."
As a prelude to the star-studded Sydney Carnival, Silver Slipper Day will be held at Rosehill Gardens this Saturday.
The Group 2 Silver Slipper Stakes are worth $200,000 with the winner granted passage to the Golden Slipper.
The race will see some of the best two-year-old sprinters go head-to-head over 1100 metres.
Pierro, currently fourth favourite for this year's Golden Slipper, will feature in the Silver Slipper.
Saturday's meet will also see the some of the best mile-runners compete for the $200,000 Hobartville Stakes.
Story: Ben Chenoweth The Paramatta Sun
Photo: www.sportpix.com.au