Plague Stone blossoms into a contender for The Rosebud

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GODOLPHIN’S highly regarded Plague Stone lived up to the pre-race hype and made an impressive return to racing at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

Plague Stone’s debut season had been thwarted by bad luck in his previous four starts but the rising three-year-old enjoyed racing off a fast early tempo before scoring a convincing win in the Rosebud Prelude (1000m).

Trainer James Cummings believes Plague Stone is essentially a “fast sprinter” and the times out of Saturday’s race support his theory. Plague Stone ran the 1000m in a fast 56.84s, while his final 600m sectional was a brilliant 33.66s.

“Hugh (Bowman) afforded the colt a smooth ride in transit and this gave him the opportunity to show his blistering finishing speed,’’ Cummings said. “He will keep building on this sort of performance and I like the look of The Rosebud in three weeks’ time.’’

Plague Stone opened at $1.90 before easing to $2.10 favourite and he wore down dashing filly Witherspoon ($5.50) to win by a half-length with The Tenor ($8) 1½-lengths away third.

Although Plague Stone did ease late in betting, there had been confident support for the colt, including a $20,000 bet at $2.10 on TAB Fixed Odds.

Bowman said Plague Stone will be even better when he gets out to 1200m.

“He seems a shortcourse horse but I would imagine if he gets to six furlongs (a1200m) and he races in the right manner, he will show a really good turn of foot,’’ Bowman said.

Cummings stopped short of predicting Plague Stone could be part of his three-year-old team being set for the Group 1 $1 million Golden Rose (1400m) at Rosehill during the spring.

“I think he is a fast sprinter,’’ Cummings said. “That is why I kicked him off at 1000m.

“He was forced to carry the weight (58kg) and I was really happy with the way he has kicked off his campaign.’’

Plague Stone, a son of champion sire Lonhro, broke his maiden at his fifth attempt but he has shown considerable promise earlier in the season, including his luckless, half-length second to Written By in a Blue Diamond Prelude.

The form out of Saturday’s race will hold up in coming weeks as Plague Stone is loaded with ability and the runs of his immediate chasers, Witherspoon, The Tenor and Ben Hercules had merit.

Witherspoon has abundant speed and had a three-lengths lead on her rivals coming into the straight. The Brad Widdup-trained filly maintained her advantage for most of the run home and comfortably held the remainder of the field at bay but she could not withstand the powerful finished surge of Plague Stone.

LION ROARS BACK INTO FORM
GREY Lion broke a winless drought that stretched more than two years and gave owner Terry Henderson’s OTI Syndicate the first leg of a two-state double when he scored at Royal Randwick.

There might have been only four runners in the Book Spring Now Handicap (2400m) but the race turned into an exciting contest as Grey Lion and Braces staged a stirring struggle for most of the straight before the former edged away again.

Henderson was at Randwick to watch Grey Lion score his first win since May, 2016, then made a beeline to the nearest TV to cheer home Serenade The Stars in the 2500m race at Flemington.

Star Sydney apprentice Jean Van Overmeire completed a race-to-race double when he led most of the way on Grey Lion ($5), who fought back after being headed by Braces ($5.50) to win by a half neck with favourite Ombudsman ($1.65) nearly six lengths away third with Villardo trailing the field home.

Van Overmeire, who won on Gitan in the previous race, said it was his intention to take up a frontrunning role.

“They asked me to let him roll but at about the 1600m he was stargazing a bit,’’ Van Overmeire said. “I was happy when the other grey horse (Villardo) came up to our girth as it made my horse focus again.’’

Grey Lion led into the straight but Braces sprinted quickly and took a narrow lead just inside the final 200m.

“But when the other horse (Baces) didn’t break away I think that did Grey Lion the world of good because he really knuckled down and got his head back in front.’’