Having gone close two years back when Attrition (Churchill) finished a close second, the team at Mill Park need to look all the way back to 1998 when the Gr1 Australian Guineas was run over 2000m and farm graduate Gold Guru (Geiger Counter) took the prize.
With the sad announcement during the week that Gold Guru had passed away at the age of 30, having spent his retirement at the famed South Australian farm, it would be fitting that one of three Mill Park graduates in this year’s field should take the prize.
While victory by either Angel Capital (Harry Angel-Bahamas, by Teofilo) or Point And Shoot (Blue Point-Watchmespin, by Sepoy) would see the team at the farm ecstatic with the win, if the Andrew Gluyas-trained Goldrush Guru (American Pharoah-Glam Guru, by Medaglia D’oro) was able to win the race, there would be tears of joy for many, with the colt being closely related to Champion 3YO and multiple Group 1 winner Gold Guru who was trained by Gluyas’ father-in-law Leon Macdonald.
A winner of the Gr1 VRC Derby during the spring, Goldrush Guru has had two runs back from a spell and although it was a solid fourth last start over 1400m, he may lack the speed to match it with many of his rivals, but his stamina will be strong if needed.
Angel Capital comes into the race off the back of a recent change of ownership with Yulong purchasing the impressive colt. Resuming with a length and a half win over 1400m in the Gr2 Autumn Stakes, the Inglis Premier graduate has yet to win over 1600m, but trainer Clinton McDonald is adamant it’s just a mere formality until he does.
Coming down from Sydney for Saturday’s race, Point And Shoot has really come into his own at his last two starts when stepped up to 1400m and then 1600m, winning by a combined margin of just shy of eight lengths.
Copy: Breeding Racing
