NEALE DONNELLEY previews five of the feature races from Royal Randwick this weekend:
Group 2 $500,000 HILL STAKES. (2000m):
HIGHLY fancied Cups hopefuls EGG TART and ACE HIGH look capable of dominating the Group 2 Hill Stakes at Royal Randwick.
EGG TART, a hot $2.30 favourite, is on a Caulfield Cup path, while Victoria Derby winner ACE HIGH ($3.60) has both the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups on his radar.
A dual Group 1-winning 3YO with wins in the Schweppes Oaks and Queensland Oaks, EGG TART will go into the 2000-metre Hill Stakes at her third run this preparation.
Both have been eye-catching suggesting she has returned to racing in the sizzling form we witnessed from her as a three-year-old staying filly.
She charged home first-up when a close fifth to Comin’ Through in the Group 2 Tramway over 1400-metres, before again hitting the line hard in the George Main Stakes.
This time she was chasing Winx and finished third to the wonder mare, returning impressive sectionals over the 1600-metres.
Ideally now out to 2000-metres and with no Winx to rundown, this race appears to be ideal as she prepares for the 2400-metres of Caulfield.
EGG TART is currently fourth favourite for the Caulfield Cup at $17 in the latest TAB market.
ACE HIGH is third-up in the Hill Stakes and he too has raced well all prep, his last start being a solid fourth in the George Main Stakes behind Winx.
A strong on-pace stayer when he gets out to distances like this, ACE HIGH looks perfectly placed here to maybe even go all-the-way in this race.
For mine he’s the value runner, with great respect for EGG TART.
Group 2 $500,000 PREMIERE STAKES (1200m).
WE’RE a fortnight out from the $13 million The Everest and tomorrow’s Group 2 $500,000 Premiere Stakes should provide a mini-preview of what we might expect in the big one.
Six of the eight runners hold slots in the Everest field so the outcome will be significant.
Defending champ REDZEL ($2.60) is clearly the horse to beat from barrier one if his first-up win in the Group 3 Concorde Stakes (1000m) is any indication.
REDZEL was dominant, albeit against weaker opposition, and now he steps out to the 1200-metres of The Everest, arguably his best distance.
Kerrin McEvoy is likely to hold the lead if he begins quickly enough, or he has the option of taking cover on a go-forward horse like INVINCIBLE STAR ($9.00).
TRAPEZE ARTIST ($3.10) is again the intriguing runner, having been beaten first-up when third in the Group 2 Theo Marks when third to Godolphin’s Home Of The Brave.
That was on heavy ground, a surface he has never won on, whereas tomorrow he will likely get his preferred good surface, at which he has won five of 10 starts.
A get-back run-on sprinter, TRAPEZE ARTIST has a wicked turn of foot when given the right circumstances, as we saw when he dominated the Group 1 $2.5 million T. J. Smith Stakes (1200m) in the autumn.
SANTA ANA LANE ($7.00), IN HER TIME ($7.00) and SHOALS ($12) all give this race quality and depth.
Just two weeks away, Australia’s ‘newest’ and richest race looks like again being a talking point for most racing fans.
Group 1 $500,000 FLIGHT STAKES. (1600m).
WE got $10 for the great Frankel’s daughter MISS FABULASS in the Group 2 Tea Rose a few weeks ago, but don’t expect that in tomorrow’s Group 1 Flight Stakes.
Her sizzling come from behind win in the Tea Rose was indicative of a lot more to come and her first Group 1 win looks imminent.
By the mighty Frankel out of former brilliant 3YO filly Samantha Miss (by Redoute’s Choice), MISS FABULASS is arguably the best bred filly in the land.
Judging by the way she put her rivals to bed in the Tea Rose, the latest offering from the TAB of $2 for tomorrow’s Flight may, in fact, be generous.
She will be lining-up for her fourth run this preparation and stepping up to 1600-metres for the first time, which also seems ideal.
Given her mother ran third in a Cox Plate before winning the Crown Oaks, the 1600-metres should prove no issue.
Despite beating all of these fillies hands-down in the Tea Rose, she again meets them all at level weights, has a perfect barrier and a champion rider on-board.
Perhaps FIESTA ($6.00) and PRETTY IN PINK ($7.00), the two fillies who ran second and third to her in the Tea Rose might pose the biggest threats in the Flight.
The reality is barring accidents and/or an unfortunate racing incident, MISS FABULASS will win again!
Group 1 $1 million EPSOM HANDICAP. (1600m).
NOW this is what a big Group 1 handicap mile at Royal Randwick is supposed to look like!
A huge field full of quality gallopers taking on perhaps the most famous mile of them all in this country – and it just happens to be the famous Epsom Handicap!
There are many form students who will tell you the bigger the field the bigger the certainty of a fancied runner – an interesting theory.
The market and current form would suggest there are three key chances in this Epsom at Royal Randwick tomorrow.
The equal favourites at $4.20 are both Chris Waller runners – D’ARGENTO and UNFORGOTTEN – and both horses appear to have serious winning chances.
The other horse in the market is the under-rated PIERATA ($5.00) – the Greg Hickman-trained 4YO with an impressive record.
Remarkably all three horses drew ideally which is a key form factor at this Randwick start, although it’s not impossible to win from wide barriers at the mile start.
D’ARGENTO ran third to Winx first-up before chasing Home Of The Brave hard in the Theo Marks, beating home Trapeze Artist.
UNFORGOTTEN ran sixth first-up in the same race behind Winx before her impressive win in the Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes. The mile is now perfect for her.
PIERATA won the Group 2 Missile Stakes first-up beating Kementari, before his brave second behind Siege Of Quebec in the Group 3 Ritchie.
He was second over this distance to Kementari in the Group 1 Randwick Guineas back in the autumn.
From the draw and with his favourable weight I have a slight leaning to D’ARGENTO.
Group 1 $750,000 THE METROPOLITAN (2400m).
TRADITIONALLY a solid pointer to the staying majors later in the Spring, the Group 1 The Metropolitan (2400m) looks a punters nightmare tomorrow.
Nineteen runners coming from all points of the globe gives this a truly internationally feel.
This year’s renewal of The Metropolitan wouldn’t be out of place at Ascot in England or The Curragh in Ireland.
We have horses emerging from so many different form-lines, as a handicapper it’s just about impossible to get a firm handle on what may or may not happen.
We have six Irish-bred runners, five from Great Britain, four from New Zealand, one bred in France and the other three bred in Australia.
Many runners come through the Kingston Town form, a race won by the impressive Avilius for Godolphin, and he’s not running in this race.
Some come though the Colin Stephens won by MISS ADMIRATION, while AUVRAY and JUST SHINE were both placed in the Newcastle Cup at their latest runs.
Then there is the Irish-bred WALL OF FIRE, who hasn’t raced since running 16th in last year’s Melbourne Cup behind Rekindling.
Last year’s winner BIG DUKE comes here off fair Melbourne form before running an improved race in the Kingston Town last time.
LIBRAN and PATRICK ERIN also ran well in that race, while the Lloyd Williams-owned MIDTERM showed ability when second at Caulfield last time.
Chris Waller’s BRIMHAM ROCKS is marked the $6.00 favourite in the latest TAB market ahead of MISS ADMIRATION at $7.50, but a lot could change.
Without a lot of confidence, a horse called HIGH BRIDGE is showing good promise in Sydney in restricted grades and he might be a stayer of the future – something each-way on him for me at tidy odds!
ENDS