Queen Regent delivered one of last season’s most significant Black Type upsets, and the connections involved are not waiting long for another opportunity to chase substantial odds in a feature race.
The filly, trained by Blake Ryan, is scheduled to make her return in this Saturday’s $200,000 Listed The Rosebud at Rosehill. This marks her first start since a commanding victory in the Woodlands Stakes at Scone back in May.
At Scone, the daughter of Wild Ruler began at $151, having been available at $201 earlier, and $51 is currently being offered in all-in markets for this week’s contest.
The Rosebud will be Queen Regent’s debut as a three-year-old, and Ryan acknowledges that competing against colts presents a new challenge. However, he stated that this is the level he must now target with the prominent horse in his Hawkesbury stable.
“There’s nowhere to hide anymore – she’s a Black Type winner, so you’ve got to run in them,” Ryan commented. “I’m confident that she’s improved and strengthened. Where that leaves her, we’ll find out Saturday.”
The Woodlands Stakes was only the second career start for Queen Regent. Her debut saw her finish fourth in a 1000m Hawkesbury maiden just over a month prior.
She finished sixth in her sole trial this preparation but was beaten by less than 1-1/2 lengths by Hostwin King, a horse who could be a rival on Saturday.
Ryan indicated he would have preferred to keep Queen Regent against her own sex for her initial run this campaign. However, he opted to contest the 1100m Rosebud rather than resuming at 1200m. He believes The Rosebud will provide valuable insight into the remainder of her spring campaign.
“She’s only had the two starts, one at 1000 and one at 1100, but you come back into spring and all the fillies races kick off at 1200, whereas the colts get two cracks at 1100 – Saturday and the San Domenico (Stakes),” he explained. “I didn’t really want to go to 1200 first-up when I don’t know if she can get it. So, I thought we’ll go to The Rosebud and, if she measured up, then we’ll go three weeks into the Furious.”
The $300,000 Furious Stakes, a Group 2 event for fillies over 1200m, is scheduled for Randwick on September 5.
Queen Regent is among 25 nominations for The Rosebud. Potential competitors include the highly-regarded colt Central Europe from Chris Waller’s stable, Blue Door and Castillo King – both of whom have won their maiden starts – as well as Chilly Girl, who is prepared by Ryan’s father, Gerald, and his training partner Sterling Alexiou.
Looking for the best Australian betting sites to place your wagers on The Rosebud? Explore the options available at Australian betting sites.
