Rolling Pin ridden by Hugh Bowman.
EPSOM HANDICAP
Gwenda Markwell's Shannon Stakes winner Rolling Pin will be the sole Kembla Grange hope in the $500,000 Epsom Handicap after rival trainers opted out of the famous Randwick mile.
Despite sitting well down on the order of entry, connections of Darci Be Good, Merlin Mustang and Aliyana Tilde confirmed the Epsom was off the agenda in any case.
Darci Be Good's trainer, Bede Murray, said his stakes winner "hasn't warranted" a berth in the Group 1 after finishing down the track in the Shannon Stakes alongside Australian Oaks runner-up Aliyana Tilde.
Mick Tubman said an ambitious plan to back up Merlin Mustang five days after his head-bobbing win at the Kensington meeting on Monday had also been scrapped.
"He didn't eat [Monday] night," Tubman reported.
"He pulled up all right, but it would have been a big ask backing him up that quick.
"When he got scratched at the barriers [before a planned August start], where he kicked out he bruised both back legs in the bones and it's taken him a bit of time to get over it."
That leaves the in-form Rolling Pin the sole galloper to make the trip to Randwick after surviving a protest to notch his second Group win in as many starts last Saturday.
The five-year-old's front-running Cameron Handicap (1500m) win last month ensured he was exempt from the Epsom ballot. The barrier draw will take place this morning.
"At this stage he's going to run," Markwell said. "I always knew he had ability, but it was just whether he could get his attitude right.
"Even on Saturday he showed he's still got that bit of attitude, but you can't fault his preparation so far."
Christian Reith will put an end to Markwell's jockey juggling with Rolling Pin and will ride the Pins gelding in a bid to notch his first Group 1 win. Seven different hoops have been aboard Rolling Pin in his last seven starts.
Rolling Pin remained a $35 chance in fixed odds markets last night, dominated by George Main Stakes winner Shoot Out ($5) and Fat Al ($5.50).