2026 Surf To Turf Day Preview

Typically, there’s a case to be made for a few of them in Saturday’s Highway race including IMPENDOR (7), who I’ve put on top.

Impendor hasn’t been seen at the races since December, but he turned in some fine performances last year, and only just missed over this route when first up last time.

Yet to finish worse than second in four previous fresh attempts, he’s had the benefit of a couple of trials ahead of this return and is drawn well under Nash.

BARRENGARRY (9) was excellent fresh, and he gets a great chance to go on with it this week.

Having turned in several fine performances last time in, the Ghaiyyath gelding was caught wide in the run but still proved too good for his rivals over 1400m here a fortnight ago.

Having won his only other second up race to date, getting out to the mile suits and I can’t find a reason why he won’t be in the finish again.

DECLICHY BOULEVARD (5) can return to winning form in the third at Randwick this week.

Having won when resuming back in May, Declichy Boulevard was freshened after a fair performance in the Magic Millions National Classic at Eagle Farm, while she returned to action to fill the minors in the Goulburn Cup last month, beaten less than a length.

She’s a winner at this point of her preparation previously and gets the services of James McDonald, and a rise in trip this week.

CRUISERWEIGHT (110 is up in Sydney for the first time in his career, and I am confident it can be a winning weekend for him.

The former Kiwi has turned in several fine performances since arriving in Australia, winning his first two starts this time before a couple of tough performances at his two latest.

In peak order this week, he boasts a class edge over a lot of these rivals and just needs some luck in the run from a wider draw.

HEADLEY GRANGE (5) takes winning form and improvement into the Bill Ritchie Handicap.

The Exosphere gelding has always boasted above-average talent, but he undoubtedly went to another level last time in, peaking with a maiden win at the highest level in the Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup.

Having stormed home to win the Group 2 Tramway over this route when resuming, he owns a strong second up record and has drawn perfectly this week under Adam Hyeronimus.

GREEN SPACES (12) is third up into a winnable edition of the Kingston Town Stakes.

The Street Boss entire capped in excellent three-year-old season with a dominant win in the Group 1 ATC Derby, and while he clearly needed his first run back this time when finishing nearly seven lengths behind Autumn Glow in the Winx Stakes, he improved to finish a credible six in the Chelmsford last time out.

With further improvement, he gets out to an appropriate trip this week, and with one eye on races like the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup, he can stamp himself as a legitimate contender this week.

STRIKING ALIBI (5) looks perfectly placed in the Tea Rose Stakes field, in my opinion.

Striking Alibi made only two appearances at the races during her debut prep in Perth, stamping herself as one to follow with a dominant win over 1000m at Ascot most notably, while she debuted for the Waller stable with a fine performance to fill the minors in the Group 2 Furious Stakes.

She was less than a length behind the winner that day, keeping her best work for late in the contest, and with natural improvement and a rise in trip this week, she rates highly.

AUTUMN GLOW (4) has opened the $1.22 favourite in Seven Sunrise Stakes betting.

Given she’s been defeated only once, and she returned to action for a dominant victory in the Winx Stakes, leading home Sheza Alibi who has since franked the form further, it’s impossible not to have Autumn Glow on top.

I’m going to select her as my winner in a Same Race Multi and pump up my odds with CEOLWULF (7) running into the first three, and GRINGOTTS (6) running into the first four.

Ceolwulf has been excellent in each of two runs back and looks set to peak this weekend, while Gringotts remains one of the country’s toughest horses and is also open to improvement second up.

Same Race Multi selections:

• To Win – No. 4 Autumn Glow 
• Top 3 – No. 1 Ceolwulf 
• Top 4 – No. 2 Gringotts

An outstanding field of sprinters has accepted for The Shorts, and it shapes as arguably the race of the day at Randwick this week.

JOLIESTAR (11) resumes and with some typically lofty targets set this time, I’ve got her on top for a fresh victory.

We know how good Joliestar is – she’s a multiple Group 1 winner, but after arguably her best campaign so far that saw her win the Canterbury Stakes and the TJ Smith Stakes in autumn, she was last seen finishing third after a tough run in the Group 1 Queen’s Jubilee at Royal Ascot.

She’s had a couple of trials ahead of this return and understandably, retains the services of James McDonald.

This is an open race to end the Randwick program and with a case to be made for many of them, I’ve put GOLDEN STRAAND (1) on top.

We haven’t seen Golden Straand at the races since May, but he enjoyed a strong three-race preparation back in the autumn, winning his first two starts before filling the minors of the Listed Ortensia Stakes at his latest start.

With the benefit of a couple of trials under his belt, he looks fit and forward enough to win, and something like this looks a nice campaign launchpad for him.