SHAYNE O’CASS- Sportsman Newspaper Friday 25 September 2020
“We can always go back to a Wednesday race at Canterbury, but we can’t come back for next year’s Golden Rose.”
That is one, not all, of the reasons why Dynamic Syndications Dean Watt chose tomorrow’s
$1 million Golden Rose at Rosehill Gardens for Yardstick in preference to a $22,000 mid-weeker at Canterbury four days prior.
The rare Criterion colt is $51 to take out the Golden Rose but doesn’t have to win to change his life and that of his owners.
“Everybody knows Rothfire has got a mortgage on the race, but somebody has got to run second, third and fourth,” Watt told Sportsman.
“Racing is a sport and I tell you what, it has given me a great deal of comfort. Before we accepted for this race, we rang all the owners and said these are our options; we’ll go to Canterbury and you’ll start favourite and you’ll probably win.
“But the races at Canterbury are on every Wednesday. Your horse is three once, and you’ll only ever have one chance to run in a Golden Rose.
“Every one of the owners has literally thanked us for running in the Golden Rose.
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We lose sight in this game by treating it purely as business. We forget that racing is built on dreams and it is passionate, and it is emotionally driven.
“And these owners are having the opportunity of seeing their horse run in a Group 1 race.”
With all that said, Watt is adamant that Yardstick is not there simply to make up the numbers.
“He is actually a horse with talent. Last year I put Yao Dash in the race and we got beaten a length-and-a half and ran fourth behind Bivouac, Yes Yes Yes and Exceedance,” he said.
“I’ll put it to you this way, Yardstick would be several lengths superior to Yao Dash.
“We believe we can beat four if not five of these horses home, based on the pattern of the race.
“On form, Rothfire is a freak but he’s got to turn up and face the starter, so do we. I’ve been in this game a long time and things happen.
“Horses get stone bruises, they get a virus, they have a temperature overnight, the float breaks down on the way to the track. They can drop the jockey on the way to the gates or coming out of the machine.
“Don’t forget - Steven Bradbury won a gold medal.”