Golden Rose Stakes 2022 Preview: Field, Contenders & Betting
In Secret will bid to become just the second filly to win the Group 1 Golden Rose Stakes when she lines up alongside 16 rivals on Saturday.
The Godolphin gun is the favourite to prevail in this spring feature after she stormed to victory in the Group 2 Run To The Rose earlier this month. Forensics is the only filly to win the race in its illustrious history, and that was all the way back in 2008, when it was moved to the autumn amid an equine influenza outbreak.
She will be one of four fillies in the near capacity field of 17, which also includes Ming Dynasty winner Golden Mile and Jacquinot, who delivered an impressive performance to land the Group 3 McNeil Stakes.
Read on to learn more about the history of the Golden Rose, the most famous winners it has produced, the race details, the leading contenders and our top tips.
Golden Rose Stakes Background and History
This race began life as the Peter Pan Stakes back in 1978. Peter Pan won the Melbourne Cup in 1932 and 1934, along with many more big races. Kapalaran won the inaugural running, followed by the legendary Kingston Town in 1979.
It was a Group 2 race from 1979 to 2002. The race was then renamed the Golden Rose Stakes and assigned a $1 million prize purse, at which point it became an unlisted event. The Golden Rose moved up to listed status in 2005, Group 3 in 2006, Group 2 in 2008 and then Group 1 in 2009.
The Golden Rose has been run over distances of 1500m and 1350m in the past, but it has been a 1400m race since 2003. It has always been held at Rosehill in Sydney, apart from a brief sojourn at Canterbury Park from 1989 to 1991. The race is always held on the fourth Saturday in September. It is only open to three-year-olds.
Golden Rose Stakes Notable Winners
Several elite three-year-olds have won the Golden Rose over the years:
- Kingston Town | The champion Australian thoroughbred won three Cox Plates and 11 additional Group 1 races during his remarkable career. Kingston Town was the first horse in Australia to earn more than $1 million in prize money, and he earned a Timeform rating of 137. His record of 21 successive stakes wins was only recently broken by Winx, and he was one of five inaugural Australian Racing Hall of Fame inductees, along with Bernborough, Carbine, Phar Lap and Tulloch.
- Flying Spur | This local hero won the Golden Slipper along with the Peter Pan Stakes in 1995, and he then won the Australian Guineas and the All Aged Stakes the following year. He went on to become the leading sire in Australia for 2006/07, with 1,000 winners, 99 stakes winners and 14 Group 1 winners, including Caulfield Cup winner Boom Time and Hong Kong Spring winner Inspiration.
- Epaulette | A multiple Group 1 winner who clinched the Black Opal Stakes, Golden Rose and Caulfield Guineas Prelude in 2012, followed by the Doomben 10,000 in Queensland in 2013.
- Zoustyle | The Chris Waller-trained colt landed a maiden Group 1 victory in the Golden Rose Stakes, before clinching the Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington. He was sold to Widden Stud for $18 million, and his progeny include multiple Group 1 winner Sunlight.
- Trapeze Artist | A four-time Group 1 winner who seized the Golden Rose Stakes by a record margin of four lengths in 2017. Trapeze Artist was backed in from 90/1 to 40/1 ahead of that race. He went on to break Black Caviar’s record when winning the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes, and he then landed the All Aged Stakes and the Canterbury Stakes.
- The Autumn Sun | Another Waller-trained thoroughbred who has secured five Group 1 triumphs and racked up more than $3.5 million in career prize money. The Sydney Herald described him as “the best colt of his generation” after he won the Golden Rose in 2018, and he was named the Australian Champion Three Year Old Colt/Gelding at the end of that season.
- Bivouac | A home-bred stallion by Godolphin, who has won multiple Group 1 races. They include the Golden Rose Stakes, the Newmarket Handicap and the VRC Sprint Classic. His career prize money stands at more than $5.5 million.
- Old Kirk | The Australian Champion Three Year Old Colt/Gelding for the 2020/21 season, with wins in the Golden Rose Stakes and the Caulfield Guineas.
Golden Rose Stakes 2021 Winner
In The Congo produced a remarkable display of sustained speed to win the Golden Rose last year. He finished the race in just 1 minute 21.46 seconds, setting a new record time for the race.
The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained colt established a commanding lead in the early stages of the race, and managed to keep it going over 1400m, aided by a powerful tail wind down the straight. The $1.90 favourite, Anamoe, made a late charge, but In The Congo held on to win by a long head.
Golden Rose Stakes Date
The Golden Rose will take place on Saturday 24 September on the right-handed turf track at Rosehill. It is a 1400m race open to horses aged three, with set weights of 56.5 kg for colts and geldings and 54.5 kg for fillies.
Golden Rose Stakes Field & Contenders
In Secret
The James Cummings-trained filly is the favourite for this race after securing a dominant victory in the Group 2 Run to the Rose on 10 September. That popular lead-up event has supplied more Golden Rose winners than any other race.
In Secret has landed a dream draw, as she will jump from Barrier 3 in this 1400m race on Saturday. She will now seek to become just the second filly to win the race, but she will need to get the better of powerful stablemate Golden Mile.
Golden Mile
Godolphin will have a very strong hand in the Golden Rose, with In Secret and Golden Mile both lining up. Golden Mile won the Group 3 Ming Dynasty Stakes – the other key lead-up for the Golden Rose – in imperious fashion.
He looks considerably larger and more powerful than his stablemate, and he appeared to have plenty left in the tank when winning the Ming Dynasty. In Secret has dominated the narrative in the build-up to the race, but Golden Mile looks like a formidable opponent.
Jacquinot
Jacquinot is third in the betting for this race after an eye-catching win in the Group 3 McNeil Stakes at Caulfield last month. He took on some talented opponents in that race, including the Cummings-trained Aft Cabin, who went off as the clear favourite. He finished six lengths behind Fireburn on his previous appearance in the Golden Slipper, but he appears to be on an upward curve right now.
Fireburn
Fireburn already has a Group 1 win under his belt after getting the better of Best Of Bordeaux and Coolangatta to win the Golden Slipper in March. She resumed in the Run To The Rose, where she finished four lengths behind In Secret. Fireburn will also bid to defy history in a race that does not favour fillies, and a wide draw has not helped her chances.
She’s Extreme
Anthony Cummings’ Champagne Stakes winner has drawn Barrier 6 for the Golden Rose, so she could be dangerous. He will have to defeat his son James, who trains the duo at the top of the betting, but he is confident in She’s Extreme’s chances of success in this race. She was impressive upon resuming in the Furious.
Best Of Bordeaux
Best Of Bordeaux was second in the Golden Slipper and followed it up with a runner-up finish in The Run To The Rose. He has a superb turn of pace, but there are question marks over his ability to last the distance in this 1400m race.
Golden Rose Stakes Odds
| Horse | Fixed Win | Fixed Place |
| In Secret | $3 | $1.6 |
| Golden Mile | $6 | $2.25 |
| Jacquinot | $7 | $2.5 |
| Fireburn | $9 | $3 |
| She’s Extreme | $10 | $3.1 |
| Best Of Bordeaux | $13 | $3.8 |
| Fast Witness | $21 | $5 |
| Paris Dior | $21 | $5 |
| Sejardan | $26 | $6 |
| Millane | $31 | $6.5 |
| Zou Tiger | $31 | $6.5 |
| Daumier | $34 | $7 |
| Promitto | $34 | $7 |
| Political Debate | $41 | $7.5 |
| Basquiat | $61 | $11 |
| Brosnan | $71 | $11 |
| Sebonack | $71 | $11 |
Golden Rose Stakes Prize Money
A $1 million prize purse is up for grabs at the Golden Rose Stakes. The winning horse will earn $580,000, with $190,000 earmarked for the runner-up, $98,000 for third, $44,000 for fourth, $22,000 for fifth, $10,000 for sixth, seventh and eighth, and $8,000 for ninth and tenth.
Golden Rose Stakes Race Tips
Jacquinot and She’s Extreme will both be very dangerous in the Golden Rose, and both look appealing for a fixed place bet. However, it could ultimately boil down to a battle between stablemates In Secret and Golden Mile. A filly has never won this race during the spring, so taking longer odds on the powerful Golden Mile to win the Golden Rose is an attractive option.
