Yankee Rose (Aus) (All American {Aus}), winner of the G1 Sires' Produce S. Apr. 2 off a second-place finish in the G1 Golden Slipper, has the G1 Cox Plate against males and elders as a primary target for the spring, trainer David Vandyke told Racing.com's Racing Ahead. Vandyke revealed that Yankee Rose exceeded his expectations in the autumn.
“I was nervous that she mightn't come back in [for] that prep going into the Slipper and Sires,” he said. “She didn't mature, she didn't put on weight, and she was quite weak in work, wasn't a great eater. I had reservations, and I was glad we were first-up in the Slipper. Now, she looks to have strengthened up in the shoulder, come up a bit in the wither–she looks a more mature filly now. I'm seeing that maturity which I didn't see going into her second prep.”
Yankee Rose is currently spelling in Queensland, and is due to return to Vandyke next week. The conditioner noted she would start out her prep in Sydney, with the G1 Flight S. as a goal. He told the radio show he is also searching for the right rider to make her Cox Plate feather-weight of 47.5kg (105 pounds).
“I've thrown it out there to all the lightweight riders I know, and I'm not getting much of a response,” Vandyke said. “My first preference is to get someone who can ride without wasting, and be nice and strong with the 47.5kg. If anyone can fit that bill, by all means, they can contact me and we can talk more.”
Yankee Rose, currently at 26-1 for the Cox Plate, would be the first 3-year-old filly to run in Australia's most famed weight-for-age contest since Samantha Miss (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}), who was third in 2008.
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