The Gr1 A$1 million The Agency Randwick Guineas and Gr1 A$600,000 Furphy Canterbury Stakes headline ten races at Royal Randwick on Saturday just one week from the official start of the A$41 million Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival.
The first race is off at 03h20.
The Godolphin owned and James Cummings trained Aft Cabin retains early favouritism (A$2.90 TAB) with champion jockey James McDonald aboard in the Gr1 A$1 million The Agency Randwick Guineas, in front of Osipenko (Chris Waller and Nash Rawiller) A$6-$4.80 TAB.
Saturday also sees two pivotal pathway races just 14 days before the 67th running of the world’s richest race for two-year-olds, the Gr1 A$5 million Longines Golden Slipper on 18 March.
Ruling Longines Golden Slipper favourite Learning To Fly, for trainer Annabel Neasham and jockey Chad Schofield, opens a $1.85-$1.80 TAB favourite in the Group 2 $300,000 Yarraman Park Reisling Stakes. Estijaab (2015) was the last filly to win the Reisling/Golden Slipper double.
The Gr2 A$300,000 UNSW Todman Stakes and Gr2 A$300,000 Yarraman Park Reisling Stakes will see two more horses gain automatic entry into the Gr1 A$5 million Longines Golden Slipper on 18 March.
In the Gr2 A$300,000 UNSW Todman Stakes, the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott trained Red Resistance (A$1.75 TAB) and jockey Brett Prebble heads markets, ahead of Cylinder at A$3 TAB (James Cummings/Tim Clark) and Café Millennium A$7 TAB (John O’Shea and Nash Rawiller.
These three colts are high in Longines Golden Slipper markets.
Farnan for Gai and Adrian was the previous horse (2020) to complete the Todman/Slipper double.
Zac Purton makes the trip from Hong Kong (Pic -HKJC)
Champion Zac Purton returns to Australia from Hong Kong to ride at Saturday’s meeting, including rides in several of the day’s Gr1 and feature events.
The return to Sydney of Giga Kick – and the scene of his barnstorming TAB Everest win in Spring – sees the flashy chestnut open early favourite in the Group 2 $500,000 Hyland Race Colours Challenge Stakes.
One of New Zealand’s best sprinters in Imperatriz arrives in Sydney for the Gr1 Canterbury Stakes heading into the Autumn – and has been heavily backed from A$3-A$2.30 with TAB Fixed Odds for trainer Mark Walker and jockey James McDonald.
The Gr1 A$1 million The Agency Randwick Guineas is the first leg of the Sydney Autumn three-year-old Group 1 Triple Crown, which includes the A$600,000 Sky Racing Active Rosehill Guineas and $2 million Australian Derby.
