The largely untested talent of St Gotthard, a promising colt, will be put to the ultimate test as he prepares to face a formidable lineup of three-year-olds in a crucial lead-up race to the Golden Rose at Rosehill.

A sibling to the emerging stallion Switzerland, St Gotthard is set for his most significant challenge in Saturday’s Run To The Rose (1200m). He will compete against eleven other contenders, including the Golden Slipper placegetter Music Time and the consistently performing Warwoven.

St Gotthard made a late debut in the two-year-old season, securing a midweek victory on his first start at Warwick Farm in April. He then delivered an outstanding performance to win the Listed Ken Russell Memorial Classic (1200m) at the Gold Coast by a significant four lengths in his sole other outing.

This impressive record has positioned him as the second favourite in Golden Rose betting. With the major spring races in mind, trainer Chris Waller is eager to observe how the colt handles the step up in class on Saturday.

“He is probably a little unknown,” Waller said. “The others have been racing in Group One, elite company and he is the up-and-comer, winning by good margins. He looks like he has come back really well. He has thickened up and furnished, got a bit of muscle and power. He is more the sprinter, being a brother to Switzerland, and we know a little bit about him as well (in regards to) what the pedigree is like.”

St Gotthard will be joined in the field by Group 1-winning stablemates Fireball and Tron Bolt, as well as Central Europe. Meanwhile, Stormy Marco has been withdrawn from the race, opting instead for the Ming Dynasty Quality (1400m).

Fireball concluded his juvenile campaign with a victory in the Champagne Stakes (1600m). Although he is capable of performing strongly when fresh, Waller anticipates the gelding will truly shine as the race distances increase.

“He did a great job at two. He won three or four races. He was there at the start of the two-year-old season, and he won a Champagne,” Waller stated. “He will be disadvantaged in the Run To The Rose – he will have to carry a penalty for being a Group One winner. But the Golden Rose is when he’ll start to put his hand up and hopefully onto a Caulfield Guineas.”

Only six horses have managed to win both the Run To The Rose and the subsequent Golden Rose, with the last to achieve this feat being Bivouac in 2019.

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