SuperCoach Racing: Chris Vernuccio reveals his Round 2 stable

The opening round of SuperCoach Racing returned a reasonable score for Chris Vernuccio but there’s a lot of ground to make up and he’s banking filly Funstar to help do just that. Check out his team and tips.

There wasn’t any Group 1 success but last week’s score of 227 was a credible start in SuperCoach Racing.

Unfortunately, the salary cap remains tight for Round 2 after Standout flopped as captain (he actually dropped in price after running second last in a seven-horse field).

And there’s fewer opportunities to increase our budgets this weekend with only two Group 1s and two Group 2s, so nailing these races are imperative.

The Phar Lap Stakes at Rosehill looks the best starting point to bounce back.

It may be a Group 2 but exciting three-year-old fillies Funstar ($300,000) and Probabeel ($250,000) appear to have a stranglehold on the race.

All-Star Mile favourite Alligator Blood appeals at $350,000 for a horse that’s won 10 of 11 starts.

A cheaper option for the All-Star Mile at Caulfield, which is worth Group 1 points, is WA filly Superstorm ($300,000), who finished second behind Alligator Blood in the Guineas.

Funstar and Probabeel were the first two horses selected. Picture: AAP

Back at Rosehill in the Coolmore Classic, the only official Group 1 this weekend, Sylvia’s Mother ($300,000) gets the nod with Sweet Deal ($350,000) just outside the price range.

The Group 2 Ajax Stakes is a raffle, so I’ll be staying out.

But if you’re wanting Group 2 points, Cascadian ($300,000) and Imaging ($325,000) both took each other out last start in the race won by Quackerjack ($300,000), who is a line chaser.

The two-year-old races are not as clear cut as last week.

Magic Night Stakes pair Kaakit Akit and Dubai Star are both cheap selections at $125,000, and I’ve made a late change with Aim over Ilovemyself (both $175,000) in the Pago Pago Stakes, plus Kumasi is a bargain at $100K.

That has opened some space for Master Of Wine ($250,000) in the Group 3 Sky High Stakes.

The five-year-old import could be anything, possibly a Caulfield or Melbourne Cup winner later this year.

Alligator Blood is the favourite for the All-Star Mile. Picture: Getty Images

CHRIS VERNUCCIO’S ROUND 2 TEAM

Alligator Blood $350,000

Funstar (c) $300,000

Sylvia’s Mother $300,000

Master Of Wine $250,000

Probabeel $250,000

Aim $175,000

Dubai Star $125,000

Kaakit Akit $125,000

Kumasi $100,000

Celestial Sol $50,000

Jockey: James McDonald (rides include Funstar, Imaging, Pohutukawa, Positive Peace)

Salary cap: $2,050,000

Cap spent: $2,025,000

Last week’s score: 237

Originally published as SuperCoach Racing: Chris Vernuccio reveals his Round 2 stable