Lucrative purses are the tale of the tape at Royal Randwick on Surf To Turf Day!
The 7 Sport Stakes headlines the ten-race offering, while another stunning edition of The Shorts is set to feature some of the best sprinters in the country.
You can find my preview and selections for those two races, and the remaining eight, below!
Race 1 - 11:50am
Vale Graham McNeice Midway Handicap (1600m)
El Castello returned to action with a fine performance and win in maiden company, and he can continue his rise trough the grades in this Midway Handicap.
The Castelvecchio colt turned in some fine efforts during his two-year-old season, running second to Broadsiding in the Fernhill Handicap most notably, while he proved too good for them in his first start back.
He’s open to plenty of improvement and does look up to something of this quality.
2 Units El Castello
Race 2 - 12:25pm
Highway Handicap (1000m)
She’s Exotic puts her unbeaten record on the line when she resumes in Saturday’s Highway Handicap.
The Pride Of Dubai mare stamped herself as one to follow by winning on debut at Gunnedah back in December, while two starts in the late autumn heralded consecutive victories at Tamworth and Armidale.
She’s trialled well ahead of her return and gets the services of James McDonald this afternoon.
3 Units She’s Exotic
Race 3 - 1pm
Peachester Lodge Shoot Out Mile (1600m)
Bear On The Loose returns to action in a winnable edition of the Shoot Out Mile.
The former Brit was sent off a $4 chance ahead of his Australian debut at Rosehill back in June and didn’t disappoint, working home well to win, but he was a beaten favourite in BM88 at his latest appearance.
He’s been freshened, sent back to the trials, and I like that he’s resuming over the mile.
2 Units Bear On The Loose
Race 4 - 1:35pm
Nick Moraitis Trophy (1400m)
Northern Eyes has been nothing short of outstanding this time in and strikes another winnable race at Randwick on Saturday.
Northern Eyes returned to winning form second-up from a spell and hasn’t looked back, winning each of his three subsequent starts impressively, including one at this track and trip a fortnight ago.
He’s in peak order and need only hold his form to be in the finish again.
2 Units Northern Eyes
Race 5 - 2:10pm
Group 3 Kingston Town Stakes (2000m)
Eliyass is yet to taste anything but success in Australia and the Kingston Town Stakes looks a great bit of black type for him.
The six-year-old son of Le Havre stamped himself as one to follow by winning the Listed Lord Mayors Cup at this track and trip on debut in Australia in June, while he returned from a freshen-up to at the Premier’s Cup to his CV last month.
I like that he’s a month between starts and has been kept up to the mark with a trial, and he can stamp himself as a leading contender for a race like The Metropolitan by winning again.
3 Units Eliyass
Race 6 - 2:45pm
Group 3 Bill Ritchie Handicap (1400m)
Tom Kitten has drawn the carpark, but I think that he has a lot of this year’s Bill Ritchie Handicap field covered for class, and he can win again.
The Harry Angel gelding turned in some fine performances in the autumn without record another elusive win, but he returned to action with an impressive run and easy victory in the Spring Preview last month.
He’s another that has been back to the trials since his last race, while the booking of James McDonald adds further confidence.
2 Units Tom Kitten
Race 7 - 3:20pm
Group 2 Tea Rose Stakes (1400m)
The Princess Series continues with an excellent edition of the Tea Rose Stakes, and I am going to take on early odds-on favourite Autumn Glow with the Group 1 winner, Manaal.
We were with Manaal when she only just missed in the Silver Shadow Stakes fresh from a break, but we were with her again when she returned to winning form in the Furious Stakes.
The rise in trip at this point of her prep looks suitable; it’s the journey she travelled to win the Group 1 Inglis Sires’ back in April, while she’s drawn to receive a lovely run under Jason Collett.
2 Units Manaal
Race 8 - 3:55pm
7 Sport Stakes (1600m)
$1 million goes on the line in the 7 Sport Stakes and I think that it’s Fangirl’s race to lose.
She’s a multiple Group 1 winner; you certainly don’t need me to rattle off her CV, and she kept her best work for late when third, beaten half a length in the Winx Stakes last month.
A mile at Randwick is perfect and she is my best bet on the program.
5 Units Fangirl
Race 9 - 4:35pm
Group 2 The Shorts (1100m)
This is another hot edition of The Shorts featuring some of the better sprinters in the land, and I am going to side with the three-year-old, Lady Of Camelot.
Lady Of Camelot stamped herself as a filly to follow during a two-year-old campaign that peaked with winning the Golden Slipper, while I thought she was very good against the older horses for the first time in the Moir Stakes at The Valley a couple of weeks ago.
Back to the NSW way of going, with only 55kgs in tow and improved fitness, I think she’ll be right in the finish.
2 Units Lady Of Camelot
Race 10 - 5:15pm
The Agency Real Estate Handicap (1200m)
Kibou has improved for two runs back from a break and I am confident he can return to winning form in the last at Randwick on Saturday.
The Maurice gelding dusted off the cobwebs with a fair performance for fourth behind the likes of Kazou here fresh from a break, and he worked home well to fill the minors, beaten in a photo at his latest.
Fitter third-up, this really is the ideal Saturday metro race for him.
2 Units Kibou