DENMAN AND TRUSTING WERE EQUALLY IMPRESSIVE

RISING star DENMAN was as impressive in victory as runner-up TRUSTING was in defeat in Saturday’s $1 million Group 1 Golden Rose for the three-year-olds at Rosehill.

Denman, $2.40fav, emerged from his comfort zone to score by a length and three quarters but Trusting, $6.50, gave him five lengths start and was having his third start in as many weeks.

Trainer Peter Snowden today (Sunday) declared the Caulfield Guineas the immediate goal for Denman and refused to rule out a Cox Plate start. “You never say never. He is a freakish horse and freakish horses do freakish things.”

Snowden went into the Golden Rose extremely confident. “His work had been outstanding. There are so many similarities between he and (his dad) Lonhro. Even the way he stares at you is like Lonhro.”

Rather than go to Melbourne for his lead-up to the Caulfield Guineas, Snowden said Denman was likely to have that run in the Stan Fox in three weeks’ time. “I want to keep him in Sydney where the weather is better.”

There was never any chance of jockey Kerrin McEvoy breaching the new whip rules on the Darley-owned Denman. “'I actually dropped my whip with about 20 yards to go, didn't need it anyway,”' McEvoy said.

The victory was also the first G1 success for Denman's sire Lonhro, a champion on the track and one of the stallions Darley inherited when Sheikh Mohammed bought Woodlands from Bob Ingham.

Trainer Jason Coyle said having to race Trusting three weeks in a row to qualify for the Golden Rose had contributed to the colt’s defeat. “If it was over a mile I still think he would have won. We are not committing at this stage to a Caulfield Guineas start,” Coyle said.

GROUP 1 $1 million TOOHEY’S NEW GOLDEN ROSE (3YO) 1400m

DENMAN $2.40fav 1; Trusting $6.50 2; Stryker $19 3.

ROSEHILL SATURAY – EIGHT RACES

ONLY TWO FAVORITES were SUCCESSFUL. THREE WINNERS at double figure odds (longest priced Friday Creek at $91).