O'shea Is Primed For The Spring

Sun Herald

Sunday August 27, 2006

By CRAIG YOUNG and JOHN SCHELL RANDWICK

THERE'S nothing like a live race-day kill to prepare a thoroughbred for the spring carnival pickings.

That's the conclusion to be drawn from astute trainer John O'Shea after Primus returned with a stylish win in the Show County Quality yesterday.

Go back to the spring of last year and Primus was deemed unlucky in the Caulfield Guineas in Melbourne.

In the autumn in Sydney the horse raced without lady luck in the Randwick and Rosehill guineas.

Three-time Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Glen Boss sacked himself from the imposing colt.

The pair didn't click, but under Hugh Bowman yesterday Primus, an easing favourite at $2.60, mowed down Resistor ($21) to score a short-head win.

"I'm just pleased for the horse getting back in the winner's circle," O'Shea said.

He praised Bowman's navigation.

Bowman said O'Shea had mapped out the horse's spring campaign and had offered him the ride throughout.

"Today is a stepping stone," Bowman said. "He is a winner.

"Resistor gave a good kick, but my horse was always going to win, and he is going to get better."

JOCKEY Glenn Lynch assured connections of Toowoomba tyro Gold Edition in the wake of her win in the Silver Shadow Stakes yesterday that he would be ready to rumble on the filly again in the $1 million Golden Rose at Rosehill on Saturday.

The Ron Maund-trained Gold Edition ($2.90) had just racked up her seventh win with a dominant 21/4 length trouncing of Montmelo ($4.60), with three lengths to Heat Of The Fire ($61) in third.

"She'll carry 53.5 kilograms in the Golden Rose and my natural weight is probably around 60kgs but for a million dollar race I'll get down to the mark," Lynch said.

Lynch bounced Gold Edition out of a wide alley yesterday to eventually work his way to the front.

"She did it so easily," he said.

"I was never worried about getting beaten. She just does everything right. Jumps, runs, what more could you want?"