Take Two for North England in 2025 Run To The Rose
Dual Group winner North England will bypass the San Domenico Stakes (1000m) after failing to fire in a Canterbury trial, but a sharper effort has the colt back on course for the Run To The Rose (1200m) at Rosehill.
Connections were left puzzled when the Kindergarten Stakes winner weakened out late behind Briasa on August 18. Adrian Bott admitted the display raised concerns. “He struggled a bit in that trial. It might have been the heavy track and the conditions that didn’t have him entirely comfortable. It was a bit below par and we needed to see a bit more before we pushed on,” he said.
The decision was made to send North England back for another trial, where he responded positively with a strong second to Everest hopeful Private Harry. Bott said the run was enough to confirm a start in Saturday’s three-year-old feature. “He came back and trialled nicely the other day so we’ll most likely see him link back into the program we had for him and go to The Run To The Rose. I thought that was a good trial. He seemed right back on track.”
As a juvenile, North England created a stir when winning the Golden Gift (1100m) and was considered among the top hopes for the Golden Slipper before missing crucial lead-up runs. He still managed a sixth in the world’s richest two-year-old race and rounded out his campaign with Group 3 success.
His return in the Run To The Rose will put him alongside some of the best of his crop, with 20 horses nominated including key Golden Rose contenders Nepotism, Wodeton, Raging Force and Skyhook.
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