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Trial Watch Reviews: 22nd July - 25th July 2025

Chris Scholtz reviews Sydney and provincial trials at Randwick (July 22), Gosford (July 23) and Warwick Farm (July 25).

BONITA QUEEN
BONITA QUEEN Picture: Steve Hart

WARWICK FARM July 25

18 Heats – Soft 6

Course Proper – 1 x 1000m (Group/Listed); 1 x 900m (Group/Listed)

Inside Grass – 3 x 1207m (2 Open; 1 Maiden); 4 x 824m (4 Open); 3 x 822m (2 Maiden; 1 2YO); 3 x 819m (3 2YO); 3 x 812m (3 2YO)

More prep trials for Group horses getting ready for the new season.

HEAT 1 (1000m): ENCAP took the trail behind GLINT OF SILVER and railed through when the leader shifted wide. Sprinted home for a soft win (59.67; 34.61) with POINT TO SHOOT holding his ground to finish third. Melbourne Cup favourite SIR DELIUS and classy stablemate ALACANCE settled at the rear as expected. SIR DELIUS went about his business with no fuss to finish fourth about eight lengths off the winner.

HEAT 2 (900m): Fast mare BONITA QUEEN ran away with the trial, leading by a big space on the turn and doing it easily to beat PRIVATE EYE with a promising effort by PRESIDENT to finish third. CONVERGE finished off nicely for fourth while LADY SHENANDOAH and CEOWULF had easy condition trials.

The juvenile trials should be a reliable source of some nice 3YO winners going forward into the new season.

AGARWOOD (Waterhouse/Bott): Unbeaten Wootton Bassett filly is going to make an impact as a 3YO after a classy win in her 822m heat. Bounded to the front and speared away from them on the turn to coast home untouched by six lengths (48.10; 33.24).

STORMLAND (Ciaron Maher): Good work by this Hello Youmzain colt to win his 812m heat with style, tracking through on the inside from midfield and having plenty up his sleeve through the line. Looks set to train on from the promise he showed when he won his debut in March before a forgive run in stakes company.

Other 2YOs to impress included the heat winners BANKNOTE HUSTLER and OUTER BANKS while easy trials from OVERSHADOW and ARCHIMAGE took the eye.

In the open heats an impressive win by DEBELLO in his 824m heat (47.86; 33.31), doing it with style to score by almost five lengths, augers well for his prospects to progress through his next campaign.

NOTED TRIALS

XX Agarwood; Bonita Queen; Stormland

X Archimage; Banknote Hustler; Call Me Mojo; Debello; Encap; I Am A Winner; My Proclama; Outer Banks; Overshadow; President

ANOTHER WIL
ANOTHER WIL Picture: Racing Photos

GOSFORD  July 23

Ciaron Maher's G1 winners GRINGOTTS, ANOTHER WIL and LIGHT INFANTRY MAN had a day out as their first step towards their spring campaigns

GRINGOTTS and ANOTHER WIL contested the fastest 800m heat won by LA PELAGO (34.34) in their first trials since they contested the Doncaster Mile at Randwick in April, working to the line to finish fourth and fifth before carrying on with strong gallops for 400m past the post. LIGHT INFANTRY MAN finished an easy fourth in his 800m heat.

Kris Lees has a pair of talented 2YOs ready to resume after the filly CANTIAMO and unraced gelding NIGHT AGENT posted sharp wins, showing classy acceleration to sprint home from off the pace and win their 800m heats with plenty in reserve.

It was a good session for the Lees stable with the import ADELAIDE RIVER and smart sprinter BRUDENELL showing their class with easy wins in their heats. ADELAIDE RIVER tracked up behind the leaders and went home nicely to beat SALT LAKE CITY in his 1200m heat 72.58; 35.96) while BRUDENELL rounded up the leaders on the turn in his 1000m heat (59.58; 35.00) and cruised away for a soft win by almost three lengths.

MR HOPEFUL, from the O'Shea/Charlton stable, was another 2YO to make an impression getting away from his rivals over the last 200m of his 1000m heat to win untouched by almost four lengths (61.03; 36.17).

Note that James McDonald made a rare provincial appearance to win four heats on ADELAIDE RIVER, MR HOPEFUL, CANTIAMO and NIGHT AGENT. Tommy Berry made the trip for just the one ride on George Ryder Stakes winner GRINGOTTS.

NOTED TRIALS

XX Brudenell; Cantiamo; Night Agent

X Adelaide River; Another Wil; Dwayne; Mogul Monarch; Overriding; Salt Lake City; Silvanito

BELLAZAINE
BELLAZAINE Picture: Bradley Photos

RANDWICK July 22

17 Heats; Soft 5

Kensington - 2 x 850m (Group/Listed)

Randwick A Grass – 1 x 1200m (Open); 9 x 1045m (3 Open; 5 2YO; 1 Maiden); 5 x 740m (1 Open; 4 2YO)

All the focus was on the two black type heats on the Kensington where some of our best Group horses strated their preps for the spring.

HEAT 1 (850m): This heat featured four G1 winners – VIA SISTINA, FANGIRL, TOM KITTEN and ZARDOZI – but as this only late July they did no more than work easily off the pace, finishing fifth to last in the field of eight. The heat was won by the free running THE NOVELIST (51.48; 33.67) but the trial that took the eye was the strong fourth by EXTRACTOR, a maiden 2YO with two black type placings to his credit. Expect him to be ready to perform in the early 3YO races.

HEAT 2 (850m): PALMETTO worked strongly on pace to win the heat under no pressure (51.20; 33.69) from BEIWACHT with the unbeaten filly AUTUMN GLOW doing it easily to finish third after covering ground. Like the first heat the big guns MANAAL, PERICLES, WODETON, LAZZURA and AELIANA were given easy conditioning trials.

There were numerous good trials in the 1045m and 740m heats from some classy types preparing for the early spring races.

BELLAZAINE (Waterhouse/Bott): Classy Zousain filly trucked through her 740m heat for an impressive win (44.37; 33.96), sitting wide to the turn before surging clear under no pressure. Looks readymade for an early kill in the new season.

GOLDEN CENTURY (Chris Waller); Kiwi trainer Tony Pike brought this rising 4YO by Pierro to Sydney for the autumn after five placings from seven starts in NZ including a third in the NZ Derby. Kicked off for his new stable with an eye catching fourth in his 1045m heat, making up lengths under a hold and working through the line with real purpose.  Follow his spring progress with confidence.

ROSELYN'S STAR (O'Shea/Charlton): Another super trial from this 3YO gelding, giving him three trial wins since May. Once again he was a class above his rivals in his open heat over 1045m, dominating from the front and posting good time with plenty in reserve (62.80; 33.79). Unraced since a win and two placings from his first three starts in early 2024, he sure is ready to make up for lost time.

Other previously noted trial stars to post strong performances in the 2YO heats included FROSTFIRE, INIESTA, ARTISTIC VENTURE, DARING FELLOW, ZOUFAME and RAJWA. The talented PALLATON also looks set to make his mark as a 3YO after a strong heat win over 740m (44.33; 33.91). 

The stakes winning 3YOs THE THREE HUNDRED and DANCE TO THE BOOM impressed winning their open heats. The well regarded imported stayer BIRDMAN took the eye with his closing third in the 1045m heat won by THE THREE HUNDRED (62.70; 34.51).

NOTED TRIALS

XX Bellazaine; Golden Century; Roselyn's Star

X Birdman; Dance To The Boom; Daring Fellow; Decorum; Defiance; Extractor; Fermoy; Frostfire; Glenbower; Guardsman; Pallaton; Sam The Rocket; The Three Hundred; Written In Wrath


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