Hartnell looking for third G1 at Rosehill

Godolphin’s top-ranked Australian horse Hartnell is ready to bounce back to his best form and add a third G1 title to his record when he runs in the Ranvet Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday.

Hartnell recorded his first below-par run in more than a year when eighth behind Winx in the G1 Chipping Norton Stakes at Randwick last month, but trainer John O’Shea says all the signs since have been positive.

“We’re very happy with him, he’s in great order, he worked very well Wednesday morning and I’m sure he’ll bounce back,” O’Shea said.

“Three weeks has always been his ideal time between runs. He takes a week to get over a run and then he gets into his groove.

“There were genuine excuses for him last start, but again he’s going to find a track on Saturday that is bottomless.”

Hartnell has the services of William Buick in the Ranvet and the jockey is impressed with what he’s seen of the horse.

“He’s a classy horse, he had to be to run second to Winx two starts back,” Buick said.

“It’d be nice for him to get his head in front, I just want to get the job done on him.”

The Ranvet is scheduled as the penultimate run of Hartnell’s Autumn campaign with only the A$4 million G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes – and a sixth clash with Winx – remaining after Saturday.

And O’Shea remains upbeat about his chances of making a race of it with the world champion mare.

“We just need to get him back in the game and get a good positive run leading into the Queen Elizabeth, and hopefully he does that on Saturday,” the trainer said.

Hartnell’s previous G1 wins have come in the BMW at Rosehill and the Turnbull Stakes at Flemington and he has also collected two G2 and two G3 victories along with a Listed success in the UK.

His performances last Spring when he won three races on end by huge margins led to him being rated equal eighth in the world in the year-end international rankings.

He will need to be somewhere near that level against eight opponents, seven of whom are G1 winners.

Included among Hartnell’s opposition is last year’s Ranvet winner The United States, four-time G1 winner Preferment and the improving He’s Our Rokkii.

Of some relief, however, is the absence of Winx who will attempt her 16th successive victory and 11th at G1-level, in the George Ryder Stakes on Saturday’s Rosehill card.