2 weeks Ago By Brad Gray
Race 1 - 11:50AM VALE GRAHAM MCNEICE MIDWAY HANDICAP (1600 METRES) 11. El Castello scored a determined first up win at Warwick Farm. The margin was only narrow and it was a midweek maiden but there was merit to the performance.
He was wide the trip shouldering 61.5kg yet his class saw him scramble home. The fourth horse Johnny The Kid has since bolted in.
As has Tenbury Wells back in sixth. The runner up Monte Veebee was only three lengths away in Saturday’s Ming Dynasty. El Castello proved to be a handy two-year-old running second to Broadsiding in the Fernhill out to the mile.
8. Let’s Go Bro jumped $2.60 at Newcastle last start and went down swinging behind Northern Eyes who subsequently won a Randwick Midway thereafter.
He lacks a turn of foot but could be dangerous here with on speed favours, mapping as the likely leader. 7. Flying Bandit is a lightly-raced four-year-old with Kerry Parker.
He ran home in fast time to just miss at Hawkesbury first up. How To Play It: El Castello WIN I Am Me is top selection in The Shorts. Credit: Getty Images Race 2 - 12:25PM TAB HIGHWAY HANDICAP (1000 METRES) 5.
She’s Exotic has won three from three with the winning margins increasing each time she stepped out. The four-year-old made light work of her rivals at Armidale last start back in May, having gone straight to the front. The 4.
7 length margin flattered her rivals. She could have won by further. Trainer Cody Morgan tipped her out with an eye on a spot in the Kosciuszko.
It’s show off day on Saturday as she needs to make a statement. James McDonald has been booked. Looked great trialling alongside Somerton Sniper at Taree most recently.
She is a proven 1000m horse and is versatile. Trainer Danny Williams never hid his admiration for his grey sprinter 6. Kreon .
That faith wasn’t dented after his first up run where he did a few things wrong in Highway company. The stable took their time sending him back to the races, lining up in a BM66 at Goulburn. He won by 5.
5 lengths with his head on his chest and ran fast time. How To Play It: She’s Exotic WIN Race 3 - 1:00PM PEACHESTER LODGE SHOOT OUT MILE (1600 METRES) 6. Bear On The Loose made a winning start to his Australian career back in June, landing good late bets.
The UK import went straight to the front having absorbed early pressure before finding in the straight to beat a subsequent winner in Don Diego De Vega. Second up he found himself wide and working in the early stages. Respect how firm he was in betting, jumping an-odds on favourite.
Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott backed off the five-year-old thereafter giving him a 10-week spell. Nash Rawiller sticks, still has upside with seven starts to his name and he maps to get control in front. 1.
Galeron hasn’t won for just shy of two years now. He loomed to break the drought at Randwick last start over the mile but lacked the killer punch to reel in Major Beel. Back in grade slightly here.
Runs well given the make up of this field but doesn’t make a habit of winning. How To Play It: Bear On The Loose WIN Race 4 - 1:35PM NICK MORAITIS TROPHY (1400 METRES) 10. Well Timed was confidently backed at Randwick last start over 1200m.
It turned out to be a leader dominated race on a quick surface. Uzziah ran his rivals into the ground with Flying Destiny, who settled second, filling the quinella. Well Times kept finding the line in the manner of a horse looking for 1400m now.
There wasn’t a lot between Well Timed and a few of his key rivals that he meets again on Saturday but the improving four-year-old looks to get the best set up. He strikes this fourth up out in trip and maps to get the run of the race. There’s an easy case to make that 17.
Congregation has the most improvement coming through the Uzziah race given he was 49 weeks between runs. Hit a flat spot when asked to quicken but his last 200m was equal to that of Well Timed. 4.
Sir Artie dropped back to the midweeks last start and got the job done, rounding up a subsequent winner in Deprivation. How To Play It: Well Timed WIN Race 5 - 2:10PM JAMES SQUIRE KINGSTON TOWN STAKES (2000 METRES) 12. Golden Path has been exceptional in winning his past two by margins.
The first of those he put 3.5 lengths on Touristic which ties the form in with 6. Eliyass before he backed that up with another dominant win in the Premiers Cup Prelude beating Manzoice, luckless in a Wyong Cup and Redstone Well, a runaway winner of the Tatts Cup.
Getting out to 2000m has seen the gelding go to a whole new level. He comes into this off a career peak. That was six weeks ago now but he was five weeks between runs when winning the McKell Cup.
His recent trial alongside 11. Ceolwulf was also eye catching. Has tactical speed to offset the gate.
Ceolwulf has returned a gelding and he’s found a turn of foot. His last start win at Rosehill over 1500m was sharp. He showed acceleration from the 400-200m to put the race away in a few strides.
Have admire the tenacity and strike rate of 6. Eliyas s. How To Play It: Golden Path WIN Race 6 - 2:45PM BILL RITCHIE HANDICAP (1400 METRES) Chris Waller has had an endless list of gun four-year-old mares in his stable over the years.
14. Scarlet Oak could be the latest. We’ll learn more after Saturday but there was a lot to like about what she did in her first Australian campaign over the autumn into the winter.
Drops to 53kg, finds an in form Kerrin McEvoy and maps to do no early work from barrier 1 tagging what should be a fast pace set up by 15. Felix Majestic and 6. Phearson .
Market support could be telling. 1. Amenable mixed his form a touch last campaign but he ran a narrow second in the G1 All Aged Stakes at WFA.
He may have been flattered by the testing heavy conditions but it’s a reminder of his talent. 16. Mchale is one of the best $81 shots you’ll see on a Saturday.
He profiles similar to last year’s winner Rediener and loves dry tracks. Waller has won six of the past 11 runnings of this race. How To Play It: Scarlet Oak WIN Race 7 - 3:20PM DARLEY TEA ROSE STAKES (1400 METRES) 6.
Autumn Glow is the standout filly in Sydney so far. She has dominated her rivals to make it two from two to kick off her career and she has been emphatic on both occasions. On debut she beat Dawn Service and he subsequently won a Listed race at Flemington.
She backed that up by winning the Up And Coming Stakes beating Wanaruah, the current favourite for Saturday’s Caulfield Guineas Prelude and Snack Bar who ran third in the Ming Dynasty thereafter. The only knock is the lack of pressure in the race and where she has drawn. 10.
Snow In May shouldered into the clear to win well at Newcastle first up. She doesn’t have the depth of form of Autumn Glow but she remains unbeaten and has upside. Also has the benefit of barrier 1.
That can see her settle close up by default. Still not sure what to make of the Silver Shadow and Furious Stakes form. How To Play It: Autumn Glow WIN Race 8 - 3:55PM 7+ SPORT STAKES (1600 METRES) 6.
Fangirl lost little in defeat when third behind Via Sistina in the Winx Stakes first up. She’ll need to turn the tables on underrated stablemate 7. Zougotcha , who has the advantage of tactical speed, but the step out to the mile and another good track sets up for Fangirl to atone for a month ago.
The barrier makes things a touch tricky for James McDonald but a smaller field helps and if she can find a back to follow at the right time, she should have too much firepower late. Her career best victory came over the Randwick mile last campaign. Zougotcha also boasts a great Randwick record.
Will bounce out and track the speed, likely tagging 5. Major Beel . Hard mare to knock being a three-time Group One winner.
8. Hinged hasn’t won for a long time but she went agonisingly close to breaking through in the Chelmsford. It was only a bob of the heads that denied her.
Draws barrier 1 again and Nash sticks. How To Play It: Fangirl WIN Race 9 - 4:35PM YARRAMAN PARK SHORTS (1100 METRES) Can’t find any reason as to why 6. I Am Me won’t win again.
The Ciaron Maher-trained six-year-old returned with a bang when winning the Concorde Stakes. It was a career best victory which bodes well for her upcoming spring campaign. The step out to 1100m suits now and she again maps to get the run of the race.
A drop in weight to 55kg sees Nash Rawiller unable to stay with her but James McDonald jumps on. It’s a near identical set up in terms of where she should find herself in the run, stalking the speed. Loved the way she accelerated to win two weeks ago to hold off Bella Nipotina.
Her Randwick record reads 4:3-0-0 while her 1100m record is 6:4-0-0. 12. Mumbai Muse also comes into this off a peak performance in the Sheraco Stakes.
It was a hot race won by Sunshine In Paris and she made the winner work late, with Joliestar back in third. How To Play It: I Am Me WIN Race 10 - 5:15PM THE AGENCY REAL ESTATE HANDICAP (1200 METRES) It all started to click for speedy five-year-old 1. Whinchat last campaign.
He won three from four as he worked his way through the grades. The key was his racing manners. He’ll always be a keen-going style of horse he learnt to harness his raw pace.
Jay Ford has ridden Whinchat in his last 11 starts, educating him along the way, and knows how to coax the best out of the son of Russian Revolution. Whinchat races well fresh and after missing out on a run on last Saturday’s Theo Marks Stakes, this’ll do as a consolation. The trade off there is having to lump 61kg.
2. Kibou stuck on bravely at Rosehill second up in a race set up for the closers. It was a busy finish but his run has as much merit as any going forward.
This is no harder. It was hard to miss the first up run of 3. Moravia in the Concorde.
He savaged the line alongside some of the country’s best sprinters. How To Play It: Whinchat WIN Supplied by Racing NSW Full form and race replays available at racingnsw.com.
au.
