Races

RUNNER BY RUNNER: THE GOLD RUSH

Posted on | Posted by Scott Embry

1. Overpass

Trainer: Bjorn Baker
Jockey: Joshua Parr
Barrier: 8

After a narrow defeat at the hands of Libertad who got that beautiful leader’s back / cutaway style run as Overpass runs up the track we’re now seeing him step into relatively unchartered waters at 1400m in the Gold Rush. He has only had 5 runs in his career beyond 1200m, 10th in The Hunter (1300m, 2022), fourth in the QLD Sires Produce (1400m, 2021), seventh in the All Aged (1400, 2022), ninth In a Golden Eagle (1500, 2022) and finished last in a J J Atkins (1600, 2021). So it has been more than three years since Bjork Baker tried him at the trip and it just goes to prove that the temptation of $1.5m will get people thinking about WA Racing. He’s older now, he’s stronger now and he’ll roll to the top and control the race. 2x Quokkas, 2x Winterbottoms and will turn the corner in front in a Gold Rush. If conditions suit he’ll give a lot of cheek.

2. Western Empire

Trainer: Grant & Alana Williams
Jockey: Billy Egan
Barrier: 13

Had history completely against him in the Railway Stakes when carrying 58kg top weight and then probably looked like he was ridden a touch too close last weekend in the Northerly Stakes when not letting down to the same brilliant level. In 2024 he ran in the Winterbottom and then went a fortnight into the Gold Rush when winning by 1.4L over Magnificent Andy and Super Smink and you’ve had to say that as an 8 year old he’s arguably looking and going even better in 2025. It’s a completely different preparation this time around with the 1400 – 1600 – 1800 – 1400 and interestingly he’s never actually backed up off 7 days in his entire career! Lex Piper Stakes, JC Roberts Stakes, Melvista Stakes, WATC Derby, Asian Beau Stakes, Railway Stakes, Northam Stakes, Belmont Sprint, Gold Rush & Hyperion Stakes plus Group One Placings in the Railway, Northerly and Kingston Town (2021) – what a horse.

3. Jokers Grin

Trainer: Bernie Miller
Jockey: Shaun O’Donnell
Barrier: 10

Will forever sit in the history books as the first Western Australian horse to win the Quokka and looked right on track for a Winterbottom Stakes having won the traditional lead up races in the Group 3 Prince of Wales (WFA 1000) and Group 3 Colonel Reeves (SWP 1100), but unfortunately nothing at all went right from start to finish. He was a stride slow, which saw him pushed back to the fence; the speed was moderate (at best for that level) and he got over-racing and then Pat Carbery tried to push into clear galloping room underneath Benedetta but that only saw the horses end up in a pinball machine and Pat given a 16 day suspension. Many will question whether he finished off once clear in the home straight, but after that kind of run it’s hard to expect his brilliant best. Forgive, forget and trust Bernie Miller – because his stable star and equine best mate wouldn’t be racing if he wasn’t 100%.

4. Magnificent Andy

Trainer: Stephen Miller
Jockey: Brad Parnham
Barrier: 12

Is every owner’s dream horse. He’s like a fine wine, just aging beautifully and increasing in value each and every year. He won a Northam maiden on debut and then was beaten in four consecutive Class 1 races! When he eventually won a 66+ he was a m71 rater who had been to the races 15 times already – he was a bread and butter horse. Since that point he has continued to raise the bar and picked up a Listed Hannans Handicap, won the Joey, won a Group 3 WFA Hyperion, run second in the 2024 Gold Rush, second in the 2025 Northam Stakes, Belmont Sprint and Hyperion Stakes, won the inaugural $1,000,000 Golden Saddle and finished fifth in a second Railway Stakes amassing nearly $2,000,000 along the way. Has finished within 3L of the winner his last 12 and doubt this is any different.

5. Comfort Me

Trainer: Rhys Radford
Jockey: Holly Watson
Barrier: 6

Will forever be remembered as the ‘Railway Bridesmaid’.  Second to Western Empire in the 2021 Railway Stakes, ran second to Trix Of The Trade in the 2022 Railway Stakes and second in the 2024 Railway Stakes to Port Lockroy. He has now raced in five Railway Stakes and it’s amazing to think that when he won the Eurythmic Stakes on 19 October 2024 he broke a drought of 1078 days, with his previous win a 72+ 1500 under Mitchell Pateman in November 2021! He has contested every edition of the Gold Rush since it’s inception and finished third in 2022, third in 2023, and sixth in 2024. He’ll punch up over the speed with Overpass and run his typical Comfort Me type of race.

6. Bustler

Trainer: Neville Parnham
Jockey: Steven Parnham
Barrier: 11

Will always hold a special place in the hearts of the Parnham family as the second leg of a WA Guineas – Railway Stakes double in 2023 but like stablemate Zipaway now over 700 days have passed and they’ve both spent the majority of that period in the wilderness. The Railway Stakes runner by runner preview read: “He’s seemingly struggling at the minute and isn’t the same horse we saw two years ago” and while 14th of 16 beaten 4.7L seems to evidence that on paper, it’s worth a deeper dive. He actually wasn’t that bad, he contacted heels and blundered at the 1000m and experienced difficulty obtaining clear running in the straight and yet still clocked the second fastest L600 behind Sentimental Hero. 54kg in a Handicap was his chance to run a race, 59kg at WFA is not, but on the bright side for Neville Parnham it definitely indicated that Bustler will find another race at some stage.

7. Iowna Merc

Trainer: Bjorn Baker
Jockey: Joey Azzopardi
Barrier 3

Has been a bit of a slow burn across his career and really found his feet in 2025 notching up wins in the Christmas Classic (Listed 1200m Quality), Liverpool City Cup (Group Three 1300m Quality) and Ajax Stakes (Group Two 1500m Quality) taking his metro rating from m93 to m110. This campaign alone he has finished second in the Group 3 Sydney Stakes (1200) and then in the Railway ran an honest race beaten 4.5L. He finished right alongside Super Smink but she probably had more excuses, he finished behind Depth of Character who was no better than four wide the trip and most concerningly he finished behind Ginger Baker who was 200-1 and then beaten 8L in the Northerly a fortnight later. Has had a career best year, but it’s hard to see a world in which Iowna Merc wins the Gold Rush.

8. Oscar’s Fortune

Trainer: Dion Luciani
Jockey: Alan Kennedy
Barrier: 1

Was a boom 3 year old winning his first four starts, including a Placid Ark Prelude before being beaten in the Placid Ark in controversial circumstances (#railgate) and then ran second to Overpass in the 2023 Winterbottom. In his final preparation as a 3 year old he beat Amelia’s Jewel to win the Roma Cup before finishing third to Overpass and Amelia’s Jewel in the Quokka and headed to South Australia when finishing fifth in the Group One Goodwood behind Benedetta. When he stepped out for the first time in Victoria in 2024 in the Schillaci he looked like he belonged with a runner-up performance to Bellatrix Star but then the wheels fell off badly. You could argue that his best run after that period was at Caulfield over 1400m in a BM100 behind War Machine and Jimmy The Bear but can he do that at WFA? Only beaten 2L in the Winterbottom but never travelled a winning hope at any stage.

9. Rey Magnerio

Trainer: Robbie Griffiths
Jockey: William Pike
Barrier: 5

Is the winner of a Listed Welcome Stakes (1200 – Handicap), a Group Two Rubiton Stakes (1100 – SWP) and a Group Two Caulfield Sprint (1000 – Handicap), and it was impossible to miss his run in the Winterbottom. He attacked the line brilliantly and that was enough for Robbie Griffiths and connections to justify paying the 2nd late entry fee to get him into the Gold Rush. He has never raced beyond 1200m in his entire 25 start career but tucked away, saved up for one last sprint, with a few leaders/on pace types who are a query at the trip, like Overpass and Oscar’s Fortune, it could be the perfect storm for him to zap them late. William Pike is the king of sit and sprint horses and having drawn a half decent barrier, expect he’ll sit there quietly, patiently and try to pick a pathway through late. He can win.

10. Cosmic Crusader

Trainer: Michael Grantham
Jockey: Clint Johnston-Porter
Barrier: 9

Has probably been the most talked about WA Horse this year alongside Joker’s Grin. Since joining Michael Grantham he has charged his way through the ratings races, but also left himself in a tricky position trying to get into a Railway Stakes. Unfortunately for punters and racing lovers he didn’t get the job done in the Asian Beau or the RJ Peters and missed a start in the Group One Mile but having demolished them in the Carbine Club as a consolation prize he made his way into the Northerly Stakes and didn’t he make an impression. First time to Group One Level, first time to WFA and he held off the Railway Stakes winner as they cleared out 4.7L clear of Western Empire in third. He’s the real deal, he’s a real X-Factor and he’s two from two undefeated off 7 days. Backed up into the Tabtouch Stakes and won by 8.5L, backed up into the Carbine Club and won by 2.6L. What’s not to like?

11. Rope Them In

Trainer: Steve Wolfe
Jockey: Shaun McGruddy
Barrier: 7

Has been Top 2 in Pre-Post betting since the market opened 6 months go and understandably why: 1) ran a fast finishing and eye catching fifth in the Gold Rush in 2024; 2) has come back a better 5-year-old than he was at 4; 3) ran out of his skin in the Asian Beau under 61kg when splitting the Railway Stakes and Northerly Stakes pairing Watch Me Rock and Cosmic Crusader; and 4) will meet Cosmic Crusader a whopping 7kg better at the weights in the Gold Rush from that encounter. 1200m at WFA seems to be a bit sharp for him, 1600m they seem reluctant to test because it may stretch him, this 1400m is his perfect distance and this is surely the race that they have targeted as his best chance of taking out a Pinnacles Feature. Like.

12. Aztec Ruler

Trainer: Stefan Vahala
Jockey: Chris Parnham
Barrier: 4

Took a while to find his feet this time in, having been beaten nearly 8L behind Rope Them In first-up in the Crawford in a head scratcher. He has steadily improved at each and every run, closing the beaten margin to 2.4L in the Asian Beau, a head in the RJ Peters and then arguable his best run of the campaign was last start in the Carbine Club when holding down second behind Cosmic Crusader. He will get a 1kg weight swing on Cosmic Crusader heading into WFA and he did run a handy race in the 2024 Gold Rush off the exact same preparation (7 days from Peters into Carbine Club and 21 days into the Gold Rush) but that handy performance still only saw him finish seventh at 60-1 and that looks about right for him in 2025. He’ll be 60/70-1 and finish midfield(ish).

13. Super Smink

Trainer: Daniel Morton
Jockey: Lucy Fiore
Barrier: 2

Has had quite a different preparation in 2025 to 2024. In 2024 she went fourth-up into the Railway, fifth-up into the Northerly and then sixth-up off 7 days into the Gold Rush. In 2025 she went first-up Crawford (1200), second-up Lee Steere (1400), third-up Railway (1600) and then 21 days into a Gold Rush (1400), so it would seem on face value that the stable are trying to keep her fresher in 2025. Her Railway run was awkward, she was wide early and the horse four deep no cover (Depth of Character) wasn’t moving into the race she had to drag even further back and then was held up slightly on straightening and ultimately finished outside the Top 10, which is well unders for a mare of her quality and class. Rider change into the Gold Rush with Lucy Fiore back aboard and hopefully that’s the change of fortune she needs to finally win one of the $1,500,000 features.

Selection: Rope Them In

Have been adamant for a long time now that 1400m is the ideal dance for Rope Them In and thought his run in the Winterbottom completely against the pattern of the race (slowly run early, middle stages, dominated by those along the fence line) was great. Shaun McGruddy just needs an ounce of luck early to find a spot in the one off line and given his massive weight swing on Cosmic Crusader from the Asian Beau (what a form line) think he can win his biggest race to date.




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