The Winter Stakes could be the last opportunity for talented mare Gold Water to snare an elusive Group One victory before she is retired to stud.The Gai Waterhouse-trained four-year-old will take her place in Saturday's 1400m feature at Eagle Farm which signals the end of Group One racing for the season.Gold Water has run second in three Group One races - the 2009 Storm Queen behind Purple, this year's Coolmore Classic won by Alverta and most recently in the Doomben Cup to Metal Bender.She is ra
The Winter Stakes could be the last opportunity for talented mare Gold Water to snare an elusive Group One victory before she is retired to stud.
The Gai Waterhouse-trained four-year-old will take her place in Saturday's 1400m feature at Eagle Farm which signals the end of Group One racing for the season.
Gold Water has run second in three Group One races - the 2009 Storm Queen behind Purple, this year's Coolmore Classic won by Alverta and most recently in the Doomben Cup to Metal Bender.
She is raced by Eduardo Cojuangco and is earmarked to join his broodmare band at Gooree Stud in the spring.
"She is as well as she was leading into the Doomben Cup," Waterhouse's racing manager Mark Webbey said.
"She has had a freshen-up and is well going into the race which could well be her last start before she goes to stud."
Gold Water was a close runner-up to Metal Bender in the Doomben Cup to record her third second placing at the highest level.
Nash Rawiller will ride the mare in an attempt to notch his 10th Group One win of the season.
Rawiller is also leading the Sydney riders' premiership with Corey Brown hot on his heels.
Brown will also be at Eagle Farm trying to stop Rawiller in the Winter Stakes in which he rides Melito.
The Gerald Ryan-trained filly has come into her own in recent weeks with a Group One win in the T J Smith Stakes followed by four Group One placings including her last-start second to Black Piranha in the Stradbroke Handicap.
Trainer Gerald Ryan believes she can win on Saturday but also believes that even if she doesn't she had done enough to earn the accolade of three-year-old filly of the year.
VRC Oaks winner Faint Perfume is currently the frontrunner for the title.
"She's been so consistent and I think she's the best filly this season," Ryan said.
"She is very well in herself and was bouncing around a couple of days after the Stradbroke.
"But it's a tough enough field.
"Set For Fame will be hard to beat and Beaded is a lovely honest mare."
There were 20 entries for the Winter Stakes which has a maximum field size of 16 with five emergencies.
Last year's winner Russeting will not be there with motherhood beckoning after her last in the Stradbroke.
Her absence leaves Bart Cummings without a runner and gives Set For Fame's trainer Peter Moody the chance to equal the master for the season's Group One honours.
Dariana gave Cummings his seventh major victory for the season when she won the Queensland Derby.
His others were Allez Wonder (Toorak Handicap), Viewed (Caulfield Cup), So You Think (Cox Plate), Faint Perfume (VRC Oaks, Storm Queen) and Rock Classic (Australian Guineas).
The Moody-trained Typhoon Tracy claimed four majors (Myer Classic, C F Orr Stakes, Futurity, Queen Of The Turf) while Headway won the Coolmore Stud Stakes and Wanted took out the Newmarket Handicap.