Looking for the value plays across Sydney’s The Championships Day 1? Ladbrokes have all the best Randwick roughies to have you cheering this long weekend!
Last Saturday we found Blindedbythelight for her Emancipation second at a huge price, while we were on the defending champion Light Infantry Man for his second Australian Cup triumph at $20!
Attention turns to Randwick for Doncaster Day, and the 10-race card is stacked with no less than four Group 1 races to help you fill up those Easter baskets.
Ladbrokes own Value Whisperer returns and below punters can find all of Lucy Henderson’s top Saturday roughie selections in Sydney.
Randwick Race 2 – Group 3 $250,000 Adrian Knox Stakes (2000m)
No. 5 Burn The Sky
BURN THE SKY (6) comes into the Adrian Knox in fine form for trainer Tom Charlton and looks overs for mine in an open race for the 3YO fillies.
This daughter of Zoustar sees both the track and distance for the first time, but she’s up-and-coming and oozes upside.
Won at Goulburn over 1500m with 59.5kg two back in a huge performance before a brave second beaten a nostril flare by Feminino in the Group 3 Kembla Grange Classic over the mile at 80/1.
She’s not at quite that price now but remains forgotten in the markets as she faces off against her last start conqueror over further.
I think she’ll relish the trip, Zac Purton comes aboard and she’s drawn ideally midfield with options.
She gets the blinkers on and conditions to suit with a current Soft rated track working to her advantage.
I don’t think her Group 3 placing was a fluke and she can prove that here with another run in the money at a good price.
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5. Burn The Sky (6)
J: Zac Purton 55.5kg
8×912T: Tom Charlton
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Randwick Race 3 – Group 2 $300,000 Chairmans Quality (2600m)
No. 14 Seo Linn
Waller saddles-up an Aussie debutant in the traditional Sydney Cup lead-up and I like the 10/1 price at time of publish for SEO LINN (6) to produce something special in her first start down under.
The six-year-old mare is an Irish expat who will enjoy a track with the sting out of it in Sydney on Saturday.
She races for the first time since demolishing her rivals for her fourth career win over 2212m at Killarney last October.
While it’s been a while between runs and she’s not officially trialled ahead of her return, what she did at her latest was ridiculous carrying 59kg to an 8.5 length romp home.
It’s a tough ask going straight to 2600m but she’s a dour stayer with winning form up to 3409m so she should eat it up.
Flies fresh (3:2-1-0) and will be absolutely airborne in on just 53kg.
Good gate six draw for jockey Kerrin McEvoy, and I think he’ll try get her to the front and attempt an all-the-way upset.
Always wary of a Waller import and I’ll be having a cheeky Each Way play on this one.
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14. Seo Linn (5)
J: Kerrin Mcevoy 53kg
4221xT: Chris Waller
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Randwick Race 6 – Group 1 $1,000,000 Inglis Sires’ (1400m)
No. 7 Rich On Bubbles
While I don’t think the Lindsay Park-trained RICH ON BUBBLES (2) will be winning the day’s opening Group 1, at 25/1 at time of publish I’m more than happy to suggest this in-form young gun can give things a shake-up with a top three performances.
Ethan Brown is riding in great form and comes aboard this talented Capitalist gelding who comes off a hat-trick of wins.
Saluted over 1000m at Pakenham in mid-February carrying plenty of weight fresh before saluting in his next two on the trot.
He put an impressive four lengths on Cliff Runner in the Magic Millions SA 2YO Classic at Murray Bridge before rising in class for a breakthrough Black-Type win.
At Caulfield on March 21, he handled his first stakes test with a 1.75 length victory in the Listed St Albans Stakes (1200m).
Is crying out for seven-furlongs now which he’ll have no issues covering especially with a favourable barrier two draw.
Needs to go to another level again but can outrun his price.
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7. Rich On Bubbles (2)
J: Ethan Brown 56.5kg
0x111T: Ben, Will & Jd Hayes
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Randwick Race 7 – Group 1 $3,000,000 TJ Smith Stakes (1200m)
No. 4 Overpass
I’m on the Waller mare Joliestar for the Group 1 sprint feature but OVERPASS (7) can add value to the trifecta as one of the overlooked short-distance stars in this elite line-up.
Bjorn Baker’s old boy has looked sharp winning two Sydney trials, and he’s the type who can cause a headache for the big guns when he’s fresh.
He’ll be right up on the speed with Mazu, and at the price he’s sitting at, he’s well and truly overs for mine.
Josh Parr sticks with him — no surprise there — and this bloke just keeps turning up, especially when there’s a bit of give in the ground.
Don’t forget he ran fourth in The Everest at 50/1 last prep, then went west and was a whisker off a third straight Winterbottom.
His last run before the break was another narrow defeat in The Gold Rush.
Now he’s back on the east coast, back in his groove, and I’m not leaving him out.
There’s still some top‑level racing in those legs.
Don’t forget to also check out our full 2026 TJ Smith Stakes Runner-by-Runner Preview!
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4. Overpass (7)
J: Josh Parr 58.5kg
x423xT: Bjorn Baker
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Randwick Race 8 – Gorup 1 $4,000,000 Doncaster Mile (1600m)
No. 9 Vivy Air
The Donnie field is star-studded and there’s plenty of form lines to follow into the day’s feature.
One that has jumped off the page for mine for a run in the money at blowout odds is VIVY AIR (11) from the stables of ace horseman Ciaron Maher.
Reece Jones partners this always honest Hellbent mare who is yet to run worse than second in her four previous Randwick assignments (4:1-3-0).
She’s got winning form up to 1800m so the 1600m is right within her wheelhouse and she won the Big Dance Wild Card here at the track and trip last October with 58kg on her back.
Runner-up to a very good horse in Gringotts at big odds in the $3 million Big Dance before bouncing back to claim the Five Diamonds over a quality field.
Her trip west for Perth’s Group 1 Northerly Stakes didn’t go to plan as she finished eighth in the December showdown, but she showed no ill effects from the travel returning at Rosehill on March 14 to run under a length third to Lazzura in the Group 1 Coolmore Classic (1500m).
Was 30/1 that day and remains in the double-figure range again here despite presenting fitter for the run.
Her second-up record is solid (6:2-2-1), she’ll relish the Soft going and will be racing out of her skin with just 51kg on her back.
There’s Group 1 winners galore in the field but she’s one I’m wary to discount based on consistency alone.
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9. Vivy Air (11)
J: Reece Jones 51kg
218×3T: Ciaron Maher
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Randwick Race 9 – Group 1 $2,000,000 Australian Derby (2400m)
No. 2 Road To Paris
Roger James & Robert Wellwood‘s visiting New Zealand Derby champ ROAD TO PARIS (10) is another top ride for Purton on the Doncaster Day card and he’s first-up down under after a huge campaign at home.
Mongolian Khan (2015) was the last three-year-old to complete the Trans-Tasman NZ Derby / Australian Derby double Road To Paris is out to emulate this season.
The Circus Maximus gelding has the mile and half box ticked after improving on his lead-up Group 2 Avondale Guineas second in February to score an upset over Autumn Glory in the Group 1 NZ Derby (2400m) on March 7.
Overcame gate 13 of 16 that day to win by a length and he doesn’t need to improve much to feature here.
Sure, the likes of Observer and Green Spaces out of the Rosehill Guineas will be tough to deny, but over the distance with the confidence of his Group 1 win last start he’ll be there when it counts.
Comes from a sharp Kiwi stable, he stunned them in the NZ Derby and gets the blinkers on.
Don’t overlook.
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2. Road To Paris (10)
J: Zac Purton 56.5kg
l6221T: Roger James & Robert Wellwood
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Happy punting!