Rosario looks to rediscover some notable juvenile form in the six-furlong Gamble Responsibly At BetUK Handicap, the class two highlight at Southwell today.
Following a successful debut in June, 2023, the son of Harry Angel finished third in the Gr2 Flying Childers Stakes at Doncaster and second in the Gr3 Cornwallis Stakes at Newmarket.
Gates open early at Southwell today (Pic – Southwell Racecourse on FB)
Having missed most of last year’s turf season, Rosario has made three appearances on the all-weather this winter, latterly finishing a close third in a six-furlong handicap at Kempton Park.
Trainer Roger Teal said: “Rosario is in good shape. He had an injury last year, so he has been working his way back, and I think he has been stepping forward with each run.
“He was forced to race wide when he finished fifth at Chelmsford but still finished the race off strongly, whereas last time at Kempton he was a bit keen mid-race and seemed to pay the price for that late on.
“He has been a bit tricky in the stalls but seems to be getting better as time goes on. He has been drawn [1] well for the first time in his life and, if he settles, he should run a big race.
“All being well, and provided Friday goes OK, the plan is to take him up to Newcastle for the final.”
Rosario meets some familiar rivals, with Tiger Crusade (David Simcock), last season’s Sprint final victor Fivethousandtoone (Tim Easterby) and Coachello (Mark Loughnane) all having finished behind him at Kempton Park.
The weights are headed by Archie Watson’s Gr2 scorer Shartash, who was an encouraging third on his comeback at Lingfield Park’s AWC Trials Day last month.
The Richard Hannon-trained Mums Tipple and David Evans’ Rohaan reoppose after finishing fifth and seventh in the same Lingfield Park contest.
Many A Star bids for a fourth success of 2025 for Jamie Osborne, although the eight-year-old needs to bounce back from a below-par effort last time out.
Badri was a comfortable winner for Michael Herrington over the course and trip in late January, while We Never Stop also produced strong form at the track earlier in the season for Kevin Ryan.
Lightly raced bottom weight Fahrenheit Seven returns from a break for Mark Usher, having scored at Newcastle on his latest start in November.
Juan Les Pins (Mick Appleby) and Havanagreattime (Richard Hughes) complete the field.
