CHARCOAL ROSE IN FULL BLOOM

Winter may not be the time we traditionally relate to roses being in full bloom however at Belmont on Saturday there was one special rose who stood out amongst the rest. Two year old filly CHARCOAL ROSE had put the writing on the board at her past two runs and all indications were that she would be ready to bloom on Saturday. Having been placed at her first start at 1400m,we were never really concerned about the distance however she would probably be better suited if she could have an easy time of it for the first half of the race.

Jason Whiting was again given a free rein to decide how best to ride the filly depending on how the race was run. True to his professional style, Jason summed the pace up quickly and decided to take a sit with the filly. I was happy for most of the way in running however when she became bottled up just before the corner I must admit that I thought the bird had flown. Being patient is one of Jason's strong points and he waited till very late into the straight to gain a run through the field. Once the filly saw room she was able to out sprint her rivals and get to the line with about 3/4 of a length to spare.

I am not quite sure just how far the filly is likely to get however providing she pulls up well we may give her a try at 1600m at her next start. The filly will then be given a good spell during the winter while we look to see where she is best placed as a three year old.