The decision to bypass The Rosebud with Best Of Bordeaux in preference for the San Domenico Stakes might have been a no brainer, but that hasn’t made the two-week wait any easier for trainer Kacy Fogden.
Fogden has spent the past fortnight feeling like a kid on Christmas Eve, anticipating the day she can finally kick-start the Golden Slipper placegetter’s three-year-old season.
Best Of Bordeaux would have lumped topweight of 61kg in The Rosebud (1100m), but under the conditions of Saturday’s San Domenico Stakes (1100m) he will carry 57.5kg, the same impost as Group 2 winner Swiss Exile and the unbeaten Promitto.
“It feels like I’ve been waiting forever,” Fogden said.
“They are much more favourable conditions this Saturday as opposed to The Rosebud.
“Athough it was quite tempting to run him, I thought there are bigger races in mind for him and there’s no point potentially gutting him first-up under the big weight.
“I’m sure he would have handled it, but you never quite know until you do it and he is a nice colt that is very much worth looking after.”
Best Of Bordeaux is a clear-cut $2.40 favourite to take his record to three wins from four starts at Rosehill, where new jockey James Mcdonald will have his first race ride on the Coolmore colt.
He has partnered him in two barrier trials, the latest when the three-year-old stretched out beautifully for a comfortable win and while he has a tricky draw in gate nine, Fogden is banking on Best Of Bordeaux being good enough to overcome it.
“It’s a pretty awkward map. He is drawn outside all of the speed so it will make it hard for him,” she said.
“But I do have a lot of belief in the horse. Hopefully the weather stays away and he doesn’t find a bog track first-up.”
Saturday’s race will be an important starting point for Best of Bordeaux, whose campaign could head in several directions, pending his San Domenico performance.
He is an equal favourite for the Group 1 Golden Rose (1400m) next month and a prominent contender to fill Coolmore’s vacant slot in The Everest (1200m).