A high quality line up has been assembled for the Group 2 $250,000 Pro-Ride Warwick Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on Saturday with ten Group 1 winners resuming in the fourteen horse field.
Group 1 winning mare First Seal heads the market order and is a clear cut favourite at $2.90 for her first racetrack appearance since finishing sixth to Amanpour in the Group 1 $1m Cellarbrations Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on April 11, the second day of ‘The Championships’ during the Sydney Autumn Carnival.
At her two previous starts the John Thompson trained mare was runner up twice in Group 1 company at Rosehill in the $600,000 Coolmore Classic (1500m) and in the $400,000 Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m).
Sydney’s premier trainer Chris Waller will saddle up six runners in the Warwick Stakes and his Doncaster Mile winner Kermadec is next best in the market order at $6.50 just ahead of his stablemate Royal Descent at $7.
Waller’s other four runners are at long odds with Beaten Up at $41, Foreteller and Hawkspur at $67 and Moriarty is the outsider of the field at $101.
Ladbrokes have a great offer going for the Warwick Stakes: if your first fixed odds win bet comes in 2nd or 3rd, you will get your stake back as a bonus bet up to $100.
John O’Shea has two runners in the Warwick Stakes with English import It’s Somewhat well up the market order at $7.50 and $51 chance Complacent who is having his first start since running second to Polanski in the 2013 Group 1 $1.5m AAMI Victoria Derby (2500m) at Flemington.
In-form Burbero won his second Group 2 race last start when he beat Weary in the Group 2 $175,000 McGrath Estate Agents Missile Stakes (1200m) at Randwick a fortnight ago and has been kept safe in the betting at $8.50.
Doomben Cup winner Pornichet is the only other runner under double figures at $9 and trainer Gai Waterhouse has given the French import a solid grounding for his return to the race track with two recent barrier trials at Randwick.
Pornichet blossomed during the Winter Carnival in Queensland and completely dominated the field in the Group 1 $650,000 The Bundaberg Rum Doomben Cup (2000m) at Doomben on May 9 with a two and a quarter lengths win over the Waller trained Weary.
The Team Hawkes trained Messene might be at the handy odds of $12 but on his day can mix it with the best as he showed when he won the 2014 Group 2 $175,000 Hyland Race Colours Ajax Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill.
Messene has the advantage of having a run under his belt and his fitness edge as well as the inside gate will go a long way to enhance his chances here.
The other two runners in the field are at long longs with Australian Oaks winner Gust Of Wind marked at $41 and the Bjorn Baker trained Zaratone a $51 chance.