Dale confident Rose Aye can step up after Highway win
Trainer Matthew Dale wonders whether Rose Aye set expectations too high with her Highway win but doubts she can reach the level needed to repeat it at Sapphire Coast on Sunday.
It’s a jump from the TAB Speedway to the $150,000 Evergreen Turf South East Country Championships (1400m), usually one of the strongest regionals, but Dale said he had long thought he could deliver such a performance.
Tommy Berry rides Rose Aye to victory in the Highway Handicap race at Rosehill.Credit: Getty Images
His speedway record 7-1/4 length margin meant he was a clear favorite with TAB in a much deeper race on Saturday, and Dale could only hope the market was right.
“He won by a long margin and finished second and third in a couple of tough races, but he had a good time doing it,” Dale said.
“I always knew he had that kind of performance, and I thought we wouldn’t see it until we gave him a wink or a blinder.
“The other day Tommy had the intention [Berry] and he opened it right away and we saw the best version of him.
“I don’t think anything should be priced too low in this type of racing. They are very open circuits and run on different tracks, so there are a lot of variables.”
The Dale stable has a strong hand with Canadian Monarch in the Sapphire Coast event, with the most wins in the metro and the first emergency Martini Mumma hopeful to make a start.
According to Dale, Rose Aye “forced” her win last weekend.
