Shayne O’Cass’s extended preview and tips for Royal Randwick

Daily Telegraph form analyst Shayne O’Cass examines every race at Royal Randwick on Saturday to point you in the right direction to finding a winner.

Brigantine is a consistent performer and will be hard to beat in the Razor Sharp Stakes at Randwick. Picture: Grant Guy

Daily Telegraph form analyst Shayne O’Cass runs the rule over every race, including suggested bets, for the Randwick meeting on Saturday.

The Form: Complete NSW Racing thoroughbred form, including video replays and all you need to know about every horse, jockey and trainer. Find a winner here.

RANDWICK

Track: Soft 5. Rail: True.

RACE 1

Overview: Supido Beauty famously beat the subsequent Melbourne Cup winner Gold Trip in a trial before she won and won again after that. Draw against here but has plenty of toe. Salire was somewhat unlucky not to have a Highway prior to his Randwick triumph on The Big Dance undercard. The Cameron Crockett-trained gelding has trialled well since and although drawn wide here, his pattern of racing, and Nash Rawiller in the saddle, more or less negate the alley.

Betting Advice:Supido Beauty each-way

RACE 2

Overview: Typically handsome So You Think son Excelladus has the barrier and talent to offset his topweight. All three runs this preparation have contained merit to varying degrees. Perfectly tuned for the Randwick mile on Saturday. It might just come down to tempo/luck, good rides, plural, vis-a-vie Floating and King Ratel. Mars is going to be better after this one and once he gets up 1900m but he is still fresh enough to compete.

Betting Advice: Excelladus to win, Mars to place

Operative can make it a hat-trick at Randwick on Saturday. Picture: Grant Guy

RACE 3

Overview: Sacrimony has done some good things in his 11 starts, alas four of them have been at Randwick where he is yet to place. That could easily change on Saturday given that he is very effective second-up where he is two from two which are both his career wins. Billiondollarbaby has loads of talent and has been trialling incredibly well. Certainly looks a contender. Operative is turning into a good colt. If he can beat these the way he has been beating others this prep, then it’s time to starting looking at stakes races in 2023.

Betting Advice: Operative to win.

RACE 4

Overview: Regal Lion sent out positive signs when clocked in a closing fourth in the ATC Cup last start. In regards to the 2400m; he was third in the New Zealand Derby don’t forget. John Sargent proved once again why he is a maestro of epic proportions after his flashy mare Gin Martini won the 3200m Sandown Cup last start. She is back in trip on Saturday but back home at Randwick and goes without that she is fit and in form Warning is ’each-way’ odds which is appealing for a former VRC Derby winner with Nash Rawiller sticking from the Queen Elizabeth fifth.

Betting Advice:Regal Lion each-way

RACE 5

Overview: The good folks at Widden Stud will be cracking open the Moet or the Dom or whatever Antony Thompson has in the fridge if the two Trapeze Artist’s Facile and Disneck quinella the Inglis Nursery, which they surely can. Disneck is the most experienced 2YO in the race having run twice, fourth in the Gold Gift then a winner after that. Blanc De Blanc only won narrowly at the shorts at Hawkesbury but she won like a good horse and may have in fact beaten a good horse in Saltaire.

Betting Advice:Facile to win

RACE 6

Overview: Not many horses can lay claim to be trialling any better than Brookspire of late. Goes well fresh, has won here, and claim for Reece Jones might make the difference. Brad Widdup has a strong hand to play with bonny duo Authentic Jewel and Queen Bellissimo. Frankly, who beats who is a toss of the coin job. Kir Royale has only missed a place one in six starts and the way she is trialling, it might stay that way after tomorrow or tonight if she goes to Canterbury.

Betting Advice:Brookspire to win

Brookspire can resume with a win at Randwick. Picture: Getty Images

RACE 7

Overview: Waihaha Falls has a compelling set of numbers; none better than the fact that he has two wins from three starts at the Randwick 1200m. The son of Sacred Falls was brave when runner-up to Coal Crusher with the big weight at Newcastle on Gong day. Third-up, smashing draw, peaking. Godolphin gelding Brigantine almost never runs a bad race and just have a look at some of the quality and standard of races he has frequently placed in. Eleven Eleven looked awesome beating Huetor in a trial.

Betting Advice:Brigantine to win, quinella 1,10

RACE 8

Overview: Huetor winning the inaugural The Ingham would obviously mean a lot to Peter Snowden and it would be one of his and son Paul’s finest hours to win it with a horse first-up coming off a serious eye conditions of all things. Gee whiz he trialled well behind Eleven Eleven. New Mandate has run in some massive races on both sides of the Atlantic. Wasn’t too bad in the Five Diamonds at his Australian debut and he looked as good as his CV says he is when he won that trial at Canterbury last week. Brutality and Sunshine Rising could easily medal.

Betting Advice: Huetor to win, New Mandate each-way

RACE 9

Overview: Nugget was/is favourite for the $2m The Ingham so no surprises to see him in the red for this one; a much easier race of course and certainly no harder than what he so easily disposed off at Kembla. Mahagoni has the lowest benchmark rating in the whole race but in some ways he is pitchforked in given he shouldered 64kg, that’s 10 kilos more in the Four Pillars and ran a huge race. Bullfinch was unlucky behind Nugget at Kembla. No way he would have won but he should have been a length at least closer to the winner that day.

Betting Advice: Bullfinch each-way

RACE 10

Overview: Kanazawa must have fair dinkum blown the hands off the stopwatches with his splits in a crazy quick 1m 08.74s 1200m at Kembla on Gong day. Comes to Randwick 1200m now where his record reads; two starts for a win and a huge third. Robusto is an above-average horse and would certainly be an apt winner in the cerise on The Ingham card. Other than the draw, what’s not to like? Interested to note the ‘support’ for Lovely Esteem here first-up.

Betting Advice: Kanazawa to win