Racing: Still hopeful of group one glory

Colin Jillings is as close to ecstatic as a beaten trainer can be over Cheval De Troy's third in Saturday night's A$400,000 ($435,000) Canterbury Guineas.

Jillings was beaming yesterday morning as he walked the Zabeel colt through the outer reaches of Randwick Racecourse, where he is stabled in Sydney.

Cheval De Troy is the early favourite for the A$500,000 Rosehill Guineas on Saturday week after finishing powerfully into third from second-last on the unsuitable tight, turning Canterbury track.

"I couldn't be more thrilled with that," said Jillings.

The only feature of the race that mystified Jillings is that Cheval De Troy was slow to jump from his inside barrier, the result of which was the colt had to settle at the back of the field on the rails.

He looked to be in trouble at the 500m approaching the short home straight, but rider Damien Oliver found him racing room two widths off the rail.

Cheval De Troy did not have a lot of room to work in for much of the home straight, but finished off powerfully when in the clear.

"Damien is a Melbourne rider and they didn't give him a lot of room, but you expect that here," said Jillings.

Cheval De Troy came back with several cuts to his hind legs, none of them significant.

The winner, Jymcarew, was impressive coming from last to sweep around the field and swamp the favourite Eremein late, but he had the racing room that Cheval De Troy was denied.

"Damien went to follow the favourite Eremein through in the home straight, but the horse outside him closed the gap for a good while," said Jillings.

The much roomier Rosehill track will better suit the long-striding Cheval De Troy.

"Someone mentioned last night that they would have him as favourite for the Rosehill Guineas," said Jillings.

Cheval De Troy is stabled at Graeme Rogerson's complex at the back of Randwick and Jillings is delighted how well the colt has settled in.

"Graeme's place is just marvellous. It's nice and cool and there are plenty of places to walk him. There are no paddocks, of course, so I'm walking him four hours a day."

Jillings has just two more races before his retirement and even more important only two more chances to land the group one victory Cheval De Troy needs as a 3-year-old if he is to establish himself as a valuable stallion prospect.

After the Rosehill Guineas, Jillings' preference is for the A$2 million BMW, Sydney's weight-for-age answer to the Cox Plate, but he might be overruled by the colts syndicate owners.

"I think there is even more prestige in winning at weight-for-age than winning a derby, but the owners look like they'd prefer him to run in the Derby at Randwick."

It was not a good night for New Zealand's other headliner, juvenile Dr Green, who finished last behind A$3 million Golden Slipper favourite Snitzel in the A$140,000 Skyline Stakes.

As he has done in all four of his races, Dr Green raced too fiercely in front and stopped to run last, looking anything like a possible for the Golden Slipper, which he is trying to qualify for.

"It's frustrating," said trainer Brian Jenkins, "because in training he's the most tractable colt imaginable. He'll work kindly alongside and in behind other horses, but on raceday he turns into a monster - he fair dinkum grows horns."

Jenkins said the only positive he can take from Saturday is that Dr Green sweated up badly in the float on the way to the races.

"He tied up quite badly after the race, which suggests the sweating got his electrolytes out a little."

Dr Green ran his first 200m from a stand in 9.9 seconds, giving him no chance of holding out the likes of Snitzel.

"I'm going to back him up in the Illawarra Classic in 10 days and if he doesn't do something better he'll be coming home."

Jenkins was very taken with the Gerald Ryan-trained Snitzel, a colt by Redoute's Choice. "He's got everything - temperament, speed, he should win the Slipper."