Race-by-race tips and preview for Randwick on Saturday
RACE 1 — 12.15PM: SCHWEPPES HANDICAP (1100m)
10. Harto is one of the more interesting runners across the entire meeting. She has been on the sidelines for a while but like what we’ve seen from her in three quiet trials. It’s not generally Chris Waller’s style to have a horse with his profile ready first-up but suspect this could be an exception. Showed plenty in her first preparation and could go right on with it now. 4. Athiri is the hardest to beat off an eye-catching return on a bottomless track. Her strike rate, however, is starting to get away from her after winning just one from 12.
How to play it: Harto to win.
If Hungry Heart (right) can't be overhauled on Saturday the Tea Rose and Flight Stakes look to be foregone conclusions.Credit:Getty
RACE 2 — 12.50PM: TAB HIGHWAY CLASS 3 HANDICAP (1200m)
13. Clearly Regal is nearly a year between runs but like the way this four-year-old has been trialling this time back. In the latest of those he cruised to the line in behind Trekking and Greyworm at Rosehill. The son of Hallowed Crown has been hard to catch in his six-start career, either winning or disappointing but both of his victories have been on the back off a freshen. Granted, they haven’t been the 45-week spell that confronts him here but he looks well placed in what shapes up as a very even Highway Handicap. 5. Absolute Trust is equally lightly-raced and has already run second in a Highway out to the 1500m back in January.
How to play it: Clearly Regal each-way.
RACE 3 — 1.25PM: QUINCY SELTZER HANDICAP (1300m)
9. Raison D’Etre won her maiden in emphatic style first-up this preparation, going straight to the front and scooting clear at Canterbury. She was aided by the track bias and being able to control the race but there was plenty of quality about the way she quickened. Down to 52kg and mapped to sit one out one back, she’s the horse to beat in a deep race. Out of a mare that ran second in a Wakeful, if she wins here expect her to line up in the Tea Rose and Flight Stakes. 5. Air To Air stamped herself as a mare to follow at the back end of last preparation when taking late ground off Dawn Passage in the Inglis Guineas. Her trials have been outstanding. It’s just whether she’ll find 1300m a touch sharp.
How to play it: Raison D’Etre to win.
Masked Crusader is out to atone in the last after going down as an odds-on favourite last month.Credit:Getty
RACE 4 — 2PM: TAB CONCORDE STAKES (1000m)
If the world’s best sprinter is ever going to be beaten this preparation, it’s here first-up over 1000m in a race where he won’t get control. Enter 2. Gytrash. He’ll stalk the speed and get the last crack. He beat 1. Nature Strip fresh up last spring when winning the group 1 Lightning Stakes down the Flemington straight and his record over this short course trip is exceptional (7:6-1-0). Nature Strip’s asset isn’t his blistering early speed but his ability to just keep building and building. In the last three races he hasn’t led he has finished fifth, fourth and fourth. On his day Nature Strip is unbeatable, and his trials have been outstanding, but he is as one-dimensional as he is temperamental. Ultimately, it all comes down to price and there’s enough there to oppose him at $1.40.
How to play it: Gytrash to win.
RACE 5 — 2.35PM: ATC FAREWELLS SUBZERO HANDICAP (1500m)
14. Spencer has been up since May and presents here having already run seven times this preparation but it’s the first time he has struck a good track. His recent form lines stack up in a race like this. Imagine Rachel King is positive from the draw before letting 12. Just Thinkin’ cross. Just gambling there’s still enough petrol in the tank. 13. Kinane can improve sharply on what he did first-up. He ran on into fifth behind 15. McCormack in a race that provides the bulk of the runners here. It was perhaps the run of a horse looking for 2000m but we know this four-year-old has a touch of quality and the fact that James McDonald is willing to get down to 54.5kg to ride him says a lot in itself.
How to play it: Spencer each-way.
RACE 6 — 3.10PM: DARLEY FURIOUS STAKES (1200m)
Was impressed with the manner in which 10. Forbidden Love beat her older rivals at Canterbury first-up. She was aided by a rails-friendly track but she was as impressive on the clock as she was to the eye, running five lengths faster time than Raison D’Etre, the filly she also beat on debut back in March. The daughter of All Too Hard filly did it at both ends first up too. It was the win of a horse that can keep progressing. Terrified of 3. Hungry Heart but she’s a touch vulnerable here. If Hungry Heart is beaten, though, I can’t see it being a horse coming from behind her hence making a case for Forbidden Love. If this group of fillies don’t beat Hungry Heart in this first-up over 1200m, they’re all running for second already in the Tea Rose (1400m) and Flight Stakes (1600m).
How to play it: Forbidden Love each-way.
RACE 7 — 3.50PM: HEINEKEN CHELMSFORD STAKES (1600m)
If there was the cut out of the ground, 10. Angel Of Truth would just about be unbeatable here given the way this race sets up. Can’t see any way other than this year’s Chelmsford being on-speed dominated given the lack of obvious leaders. So the only knock on Angel Of Truth is that four of his five wins have come on wet tracks. Nobody missed the first up run of this five-year-old, his first for Team Hawkes, running a slashing second behind Man Of Peace. 3. Mister Sea Wolf looks the main threat out of a hot Missile Stakes won by Eduardo. Jumps straight out to the mile second-up but a similar preparation saw him win the Shannon Stakes and The Gong.
How to play it: Angel of Truth to win.
RACE 8 — 4.30PM: DRINKWISE TRAMWAY STAKES (1400m)
9. Reloaded has produced a couple of eye-catching trials and by all reports he has come on in leaps and bounds since last campaign. He is Epsom-bound this carnival, as are many here, but he sets up beautifully in this first-up over 1400m on a good track, from a perfect draw and with James McDonald steering. 1. Dreamforce is the class runner here and is exceptionally well placed under the conditions with just a 4kg spread between top and bottom. At his best, the eight-year-old would blow these away. The query is just how much that first-up run took out of him, riding a brutal speed in the group 1 Winx Stakes. We’ll never know if 7. Looks Like Elvis would have won the Show County first-up but he certainly wouldn’t have finished last.
How to play it: Reloaded to win.
RACE 9 — 5.10PM: BISLEY WORKWEAR HANDICAP (1200m)
2. Masked Crusader was beaten as an odds-on favourite first up behind Varda but he couldn’t have done much more. The boom sprinter clocked 34.92s for his last 600m on a Randwick heavy 10. The race-fit winner settled a pair in front of him and zipped quicker when they both sprinted. That was a BM88; here Masked Crusader finds himself back to a 78 with Brock Ryan’s 2kg claim alleviating the 61kg impost. This race is no gimme with some of his rivals also promising to progress through the grades, and I’d be wary of taking anything shorter than $1.80, but he really needs to stand up here if he’s to start delivering on the hype. Had 12. Icebath pegged as a winner second-up in this grade, just didn’t anticipate her bumping into Masked Crusader.
How to play it: Masked Crusader.
Tips supplied by Racing NSW.
Full form and race replays available at racingnsw.com.au