Sprinting revelation Gringotts is all the rage for the $2m The Ingham at Randwick on Saturday
The Daily Telegraph’s Ray Thomas has last say on a big day of turf action around the country.
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GRINGOTTS is poised to complete a hat-trick of feature mile wins in the Group 2 $2 million The Ingham (1600m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
The Ciaron Maher-trained Gringotts has won successive big money 1600m races in the $3 million Big Dance at Randwick and then the $1 million The Gong at Kembla Grange.
On both occasions, Gringotts overcame wide barriers to race on speed and dominate top class fields.
FIELDS AND FORM FOR RANDWICK ON SATURDAY
For The Ingham, formerly known as the Villiers Stakes, Gringotts comes out of the seven barrier and jockey Tommy Berry should be able to give the five-year-old his chance to win and complete an unprecedented sequence of big-race wins.
Gringotts, the $4 TAB Fixed Odds favourite, has been a model of consistency with nine wins (and seven minor placings) from 17 starts and a win in The Ingham will take his career earnings over $4 million.
The Ingham is the feature of the 10-race Randwick program that also includes the $500,000 Inglis Nursery for two-year-olds where Within The Law is $2.90 favourite to maintain the perfect start to her race career.
Hedged ($2.90 favourite) is expected to bounce back in the Listed $200,000 Razor Sharp Handicap (1200m) and Sea King ($3.20 favourite) looks the one to beat in the Listed $200,000 Christmas Cup (2400m).
At Caulfield, the Heath inner track is hosting its second meeting in three days but the rail has been shifted back to true after being out 6m on Thursday.
The Brisbane summer carnival is heating up with three stakes races on the Eagle Farm program including the Group 3 $300,000 Grand Prix Stakes (1800m) where the Matt Dunn-trained Moon Sweeper is the $3.20 favourite.
There’s another big-money race in Perth with the Group 3 $1.5 million Gold Rush (1400m) at Ascot. Although the race has not attracted an interstate horse, it’s still a very even race and a full field of 16 with Super Smink ($4.60) and Western Empire ($4.80) battling for favouritism.
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Weather: Warm, partly cloudy day with the slight chance of a shower and forecast top temperature is 27c.
Track: Good (4)
Rail: True
Weather: Warm, mostly sunny day with a forecast top temperature is 26c.
Track: Good (4)
Rail: True
Weather: Warm, partly cloudy day with showers and a possible thunderstorm, and a forecast top temperature of 29c.
Track: Soft (5)
Rail: 2m out
Weather: Hot, partly cloudy with a forecast top temperature is 33c.
Track: Good (4)
Rail: True
BE WARY: Racing returns to Randwick for the first time since the Spring Champion Stakes meeting on October 26. The course proper should be in pristine with the rail in the true position. Caulfield Heath’s rail is back in the true after being out 6m on Thursday. Watch the early races closely as there could be a hint of leader bias.
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ROYAL RANDWICK
THE BEST BET: Zoubaby (r1 no9) can get favourite backers off to a winning start at Randwick. She’s an improving filly by Widden Stud’s super sire Zoustar who started off her campaign with successive wins at Newcastle and the Warwick Farm midweeks before she was tested at stakes level in the Crockett Stakes. Zoubaby ran an outstanding race to finish a close second at The Valley then she well again for fifth in the Red Roses at Flemington. The Richard and Will Freedman-trained Zoubaby returns to Sydney, is very fit after four runs in, and finds herself perfectly placed in Midway grade.
THE NEXT BEST: Tavi Time (r6 no3) is a dual acceptor but is only a second emergency for The Ingham. It’s likely he will run in the 1800m race where he looks perfectly placed. Tavi Time hasn’t won beyond 1600m but gives the impression he is looking for the extra distance now after finishing fast late for a close third at Kembla Grange over 1600m behind Estadio Mestalla in course record time last start. He’s not badly placed after the claim and the big Randwick track suits him.
VALUE BET: Estadio Mestalla (r8 no18) has drawn wide in The Ingham but has early tactical speed and should be able to settle near the lead. He races well at Randwick, excels at 1600m, and goes into the Ingham off a last start win at Kembla Grange over the mile when he ran faster time than Ingham favourite Gringotts did to win The Gong the same day. Estadio Mestalla drops 9kg to 53kg and is great each way value.
THE WHISPER: Jewellery (r10 no9) struck trouble from the top of the straight and never got a clear crack at them, going to the line untested when a first-up fifth to Eye Of The Fire at Rosehill. Smart mare coming off a luckless run and this race sets up nicely for her. The good track suits her and she’s ready to win.
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CAULFIELD HEATH
THE BEST BET: Warnie (r9 no3) is a lightly-raced former Irish galloper who won at Listed level overseas and was impressive at his Australian debut finishing fast to win at Flemington during the spring carnival. His two runs since have been very good with a narrow loss at Flemington when third over 1400m then a fighting effort to go under by less than a length when third in the Heffernan Stakes. Warnie is back in grade here, should be in a forward position and looks placed to advantage.
NEXT BEST: Miss Altair (r6 no8) has been very impressive in her two wins since resuming this season, romping away with her maiden at Pakenham and then scoring with ease at Moonee Valley. This is obviously harder again but she is a filly with good tactical speed and makes her own luck in races. Drawn perfectly in barrier two, Miss Altair should be in the controlling position on the pace and looks very hard to catch.
VALUE BET: Moveforlex (r3 no5) resumed over an unsuitable sprint distance at Wodonga and did enough finishing third and closing to within a length of the winner on the line. Fitter now and getting out to 1600m suits. Lightly raced stayer with a consistent record. This is a winnable race and at $7 he is over the odds.
THE WHISPER: Inhibitions (r10 no9) is a multiple stakes placegetter fitter for recent racing. She bumped into the very talented Briasa on the Kensington track and the winner then franked the form by winning The Hunter at Newcastle. On the same day, Inhibitions also ran at the Newcastle meeting and ran second to the smart Uzziah. The Godolphin mare has been switched to Melbourne where she has raced well previously and despite an awkward draw, she gets her chance in the Caulfield closer.
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TAB FIXED ODDS BIG BETS AND MARKET MOVERS
R1, Zoubaby $4.40-$3.40, Lady Extreme $11-$8.50
R2, Duke Of Bronte $2.50-$2.40, Sutton Vella $51-$14
R3, Chica Mojito $4.60-$4, Allapercanto $6-$5, Pier Pressure $8-$7
R4, How Dare You $4.60-$4.40, Bunker Hut $6-$4.80
R5, Cantiamo $15-$6
R6, Chica Mojito $6-$5.50, Kerchak $11-$7
R7, Sea King $3.60-$3.20, Alalcance $3.60-$3.40, Nikau Spur $15-$10
R8, Port Lockroy $11-$9.50, Tavi Time $26-$13
R9, Hedged $3.60-$3.20, Jedibeel $8-$6.50
R10, Eye Of The Fire $8-$4, Jewellery $6-$5, Silvanito $11-$9
R1, Lario $3.80-$3.70, Colour Our World $5-$4.20, Continental Kiss $9-$6
R2, Rivkin $6.50-$6, Empressive Enuff $14-$8
R3, Dragoon $5-$3.40, Presser $4-$3.90, Princeofnottingham $18-$9.50
R4, Flying Fizz $3.80-$2.40
R5, Bacash $2.80-$2.50, Bombay Boom $11-$8
R6, Miss Altair $3.80-$2.90 including a bet of $10000 at $3 and $1333 each way at $3.80/$1.50, Yes Lulu $13-$10
R7, Easy Dun $6-$5, Bon Mistress $6.50-$5.50, Awesome Lineup $9.50-$8.50, Lygon Street Luigi $16-$9
R8, Grand Larceny $9.50-$4.60
R9, Warnie $3-$2, Le Ferrari $7.50-$5.50
R10, Zou Sensation $3.80-$3, Helix $7.50-$7, Why Worry $8.50-$8
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INTERSTATE MAIL
Eagle Farm r3 no7: Cherry Rose
Eagle Farm r7no5: Moon Sweeper
Gawler r1 no1: Midnight Mass
Gawler r5 no1: Royal Majesty
PROVINCIAL MAIL
Newcastle r1 no4: Puerto Banus
Newcastle r5 no7: Stardeel
#Good luck today and I hope you back plenty of winners
Originally published as Sprinting revelation Gringotts is all the rage for the $2m The Ingham at Randwick on Saturday
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