Highly Touted Wodeton Primed for Debut

Saturday’s Chandon Handicap (1100m) at Rosehill sees a field of 11 set to face the starter, with eight yet to race, highlighted by the highly touted Wodeton (Wootton Bassett-Fiera Vista, by Exceed And Excel). Purchased for $1.6m from the prominent Premium Black Type Vendor Segenhoe Stud draft at the Magic Millions yearling sale, the Fairway Thoroughbreds bred colt is raced by many of the Coolmore stallion syndicate regulars who have raced the likes of Gr1 winners Home Affairs, Switzerland and Shinzo in recent years. Second in both his trials, the colt is likely to be aimed towards the Gr1 Golden Slipper and with James McDonald in the saddle on debut, connections will get a clear guide as to the ability of the race favourite. From the first local crop of Wootton Basset who has already been represented by juvenile winners Pallaton and Gallo Nero as well as the Listed second placed Wiltshire Square, clearly whatever the breed are doing at 2, they’re only going to get better at 3. With only three runners in the market under double figure odds, punters feel that the Michael Freedman-trained Miss Fleetwood (Extreme Choice-Ruud Awakening, by Bernardini) and the Ryan/Alexious-trained Sanctified (Super Seth-Sacred Siren, by O’Reilly) are the only runners who could possibly challenge the favourite. Out of the Group 1 winner Ruud Awakening, and making her a half-sister to the Gr3 Pago Pago Stakes winner Rise Of The Mases (Russian Revolution), Miss Fleetwood has had three trial since November, improving in each one of them as the distance have increased. While she may find the favourite too good on Saturday, the Go Bloodstock-bred and raced filly should be watched as we lead into the juvenile stakes races in the coming weeks and months.