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Highlights and news from Rosehill on Saturday.
Melody Again on song in Highway
For most of Saturday's Highway Handicap, Jay Ford was glad trainer Scott Singleton decided to take the blinkers off Melody Again.
But by the time the mare was halfway up the Rosehill straight, Ford admitted he was wishing they were back on.
"I think Scotty pulled the right move in taking the shades off, she was a bit more manageable today," Ford said.
"She wasn't as aggressive midrace and was able to hold a midfield position, not leaving herself with so much work to do.
"I probably would have liked to put the blinkers on at the 200 to make her really knuckle down because she was very wayward and lacklustre in the run to the line."
Despite the late scare, Melody Again ($4.80) did enough to hold off the bid of Take The Kitty ($3.60 fav) by a long head and score a deserved victory after filling the minor placings in Highway Handicaps at two of her previous three starts.
"She has been hovering around the mark and she has shown she's certainly up to a Highway, she got her reward today," Ford said.
Secret out at Rosehill
Champion Sydney apprentice Zac Lloyd isn't due to return from suspension until Sunday, but he made a special trip to Rosehill to partner Group 1 mare In Secret in a solo exhibition gallop.
Not out to break any records, In Secret covered 800m in a leisurely 53 seconds but Lloyd said it was a beautiful pipe-opener ahead of her campaign resumption, which could come in next week's Concorde Stakes (1000m).
"It was a nice easy day out, working gallop from the half mile," Lloyd said.
"I think she executed perfectly."
Trainer James Cummings was equally pleased and said while it wasn't usual practice for Godolphin to give their horses a race day workout, he felt In Secret needed it to top off her preparations.
"We don't often do this (exhibition) gallop, but she has had two easy trials on soft tracks and this was the chance to give her a gallop on a good four track," Cummings said.
"She is coming up nicely and hopefully is in for a good spring preparation.
"We will ease her back into her campaign and nominate her for next weekend (Concorde Stakes)."
The Concorde is shaping as an exciting race with Nature Strip, Eduardo and possibly Bella Nipotina among those slated to return in the Randwick sprint.
'Double hat-trick' for in-form Marquess
Cummings was in the winner's circle shortly after In Secret's hitout when Marquess kept his undefeated record this campaign intact with a narrow victory in the Mounties Group Handicap (1500m).
The lightly raced five-year-old has now won half of his eight starts and while he hasn't always been a straightforward horse, Cummings says he is on the right path.
"We had to give him a little bit of time because there were times we weren't that happy with him," Cummings said.
"But he's got a wonderful pedigree to keep improving and he might be able to get further, but nevertheless, he's going about it the right way now."
Cummings hasn't set a plan in stone for Marquess but the horse could head to next month's Bathurst Cup (1800m) in a bid to qualify for the lucrative Big Dance (1600m) on Melbourne Cup day.
Rejuvenated Star back on track
Connections of Xtravagant Star have been rewarded for their decision to delay her retirement and take a punt on rejuvenating her racetrack career after the mare scored a highly impressive win at Rosehill.
Formerly prepared by Tony and Calvin McEvoy, Xtravagant Star lost form after her 2022 Inglis Millennium triumph and was sold as a broodmare prospect.
New owners Widden Stud and Two Bays Farm bought her for that purpose, but trainer Ciaron Maher thought she might benefit from the rural environment at his Bob's Farm facility and convinced them to give her one more try on the racetrack.
"Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't but congratulations to her owners for making the decision to race on with her," Maher said.
"She produced a really encouraging run first-up at Warwick Farm, then from the better draw today she looked to have the race in her keeping a long way out.
"She can work through and hopefully get back to some black type."
When asked for an effort by James Mcdonald, Xtravagant Star ($4.40) produced an eye-catching burst of acceleration to dash clear and win the Cabra-Vale Diggers Handicap (1100m) by 1-1/4 lengths over Smashing Eagle ($2.80 fav) with Defiant Heart ($21) another three-quarters of a length away third.
Quote of the day: "I straightened up and had a good look ahead of me and it was like trying to park a bus in George Street."- Nash Rawiller on trying to find a clear path aboard eventual Up And Coming Stakes winner Tom Kitten.
