Sydney: Comprehensive preview of every race at Randwick

A COMPREHENSIVE preview of every race for Saturday’s meeting at Randwick with Shayne O’Cass.

Capitalist. Picture Brett Costello

NOTE: RACES are assessed for a Heavy (10). All horses are considered starters unless notified by Thursday at 1 PM. (N/R) denotes no rating.

RACE 1

CHRIS Waller has half the field in here and with only 6 runners, it makes it even more of a puzzle. That said, I like the look of 3. FIREBIRD FLYER (70) who is aiming for three straight here after saluting at WF and at HQ after that over the mile and 2000m respectively. That last win was on Jul. 9 but she’s been back to the trials since and ran 3rd beaten 6.3-lens in quite pleasing fashion. She is 2s 1-1-0 at Randwick and is 1s 1w on Randwick heavy 9 last start to the races. Tim Clark has been THE form jockey this winter. 1. DEFROST MY HEART (80) is a fit mare that could have maybe finished a shade closer last start when 1.7-lens 4th in a 2400m heavy 9 Bm78 last time out. That was on Jul. 9 so she’s had the freshen up to cope with coming back to the 1800m. The Irish-bred daughter of Fastnet Rock is adept on slow/heavy and I guess it’s in her favour having gone over 2400m last time because this will feel more like 2200m than 1800m in the conditions. Has a big weight but gets the 2kgs off for Lester Grace who won the last Saturday race held in Sydney. 2. HARLEM LADY (78) is backing up after a powerful win at Rosehill when the race virtually fell into her lap but she did it and that’s all they can do.

RACE 2

MY favourite jockey Deanne Panya rides one of her favourite horses here in 8. LIE DIRECT (66) who backs up quickly after finishing a well held 3rd to the exciting (my lay!) Esteban in a 2000m race at Rosehill last weekend. Panya is as good a front running jockey as we have seen since Jim Cassidy and you can bet that Lie Direct will be in the running line from the outset. He has been showing some ticker of late which is a good sign and he has been quite okay when the tracks have been wet. A key gear change here folks — blinkers on again and on a Zabeel! He’ll give you a good show for the money at the odds with no weight to slow him down. 1. GET ON THE GRANGE (74) beat Lie Direct at WF on Jun. 29 then went up to Brisbane and won at Doomben. His last start was a 2-lens 4th at the Canterbury Saturday meeting to muddie Song and Laughter and the promising import Singing so that’s good enough to have some sort of say here. 3. MORE THAN FABULOUS (70) was exactly that at two of his last 3 runs, those easy wins at Canterbury I mean. he likes the wet and he is so darn honest that 2400m might not be a problem but we just don’t know.

RACE 3

I HAVE a long standing love affair with 1. KANGARILLA JOY (84), the $800,000-odd yearling by Lonhro out of a Zeditave daughter of the mighty Midnight Joy. Big and strong, this Snowden (s) trained filly is a mare now and will likely be aimed at some of the better races for the ladies this spring and no wonder, she’s a genuine talent. It’s easy to see that she is clearly the best horse in the race and by a whooping great big margin in my book but first-up with the big weight on the heavy track, geez, it’s got me a bit worried. Still, I have her on top — she’s G2 runner-up level and she was on the up, not there yet. 5. THREE SHEETS (78) is handy and has the recent form and fitness over Kangarilla Joy but I am convinced she is too close to her at the weights to beat her and Kangarilla Joy can handle the slop and is close to where she needs to be. But one has to acknowledge those marvellous figures that Three Sheets boasts like; Track 3s 2w, Dist 5s 3-1-1, t/d 2s 2w, soft 7s 4-1-1 and heavy 2s 1-1-0. The Tamworth visitor 7. HOT HIT (72) was $5.50 fav to win here last time but was runner-up to Three Sheets who was in front of her at the 200m and held Mark Mason’s gelding to 1.3-lens at the end. 8. INVITATIONS (72) had the race run against him last Saturday and is a big improver.

RACE 4

TONY Megahey, former Rugby League sideline eye extraordinaire and now racing writer for Racing NSW, penned a story this week quoting Luke Pepper as saying 1. APPOINT PERCY (71) was the best horse he has trained. That’s a big call cause Hill Spy is Listed quality at his best but if Pepper says it, we have to go with him. Pepper, who travelled the world as Takeover Target’s trackwork rider, made some pretty salient arguments re Appoint Percy’s prospects here in his interview with Tony saying; “He’s done a power of work, the form around him is super. Two city placings after that Randwick win where he finished lengths in front of King’s Officer and it’s won four straight in town since.’’ That, plus the fact that he is 1s 1w makes him the horse to beat despite the 12.12 draw which may not mean much come race day and this track. The lightly-weighted 6. EXPLOSIVE FORCE (60) also has King’s Officer form having been 2nd to Warwick Barr’s champ 3 runs back. He’s been good since, not least that 4th at Rosehill last weekend. Just a little aside, Explosive Force is trained by Marc Quinn whose sire, Pat, was a G1 human being and won the 1996 Missile Stakes on this day with his beloved Legal Agent. Others; 5. ATTAINMENT (61), 3. LINSANG (66) from the Matthew ‘Highway’ Dale camp and Deanne Panya’s mount 13. SNAPPY ONE (52) who won at Cessnock on Tuesday.

RACE 5

WELCOME back to the Golden Slipper winner 7. CAPITALIST (101). We only ever get them when their colts for a short time, heck who knows, he’ll probably be at Newgate this time next year so let’s enjoy him while it lasts. Me? I love the little chestnut, I didn’t see Luskin Star and can’t quite remember everything about Manikato but those that do have compared him to with those icons. Maybe because he was such a dominant Slipper winner and a chestnut too like the greats of yesterday. Rest assured though, Capitalist won’t get the chance to win 5 William Reids like the Man did! Okay, so here’s the deal — does he race, does he handle the wet? Short answer is we won’t know until after the race but I can’t tip against him- he’s a super colt who has trialled so well. If he is not there I am reasonably solid with the tough as teak wet tracker 5. WOULDN’T IT BE NICE (90) who is rock hard race fit and as taking ground of Capitalist’s stablemate Redzel in a fast run July Sprint last Saturday week at Canterbury. If there is an upset, I think he’s the one. That said, no knock on another noted muddie in 1. REBEL DANE (107) who is a G1 winner and his 4s 0-2-1 at the t/d inclusive medals in the TJ to Lankan Rupee ahead of Buffering and was beaten a neck in the 2015 Missile fresh.

King's Officer (5). Picture: Jenny Evans

RACE 6

TAB Fixed Odds has Capitalist $4.60 fav to win the Golden Rose while his stablemate 3. MEDITERRANEAN (70) is $15 which seems a big disparity to me because I don’t think the Slipper winner is 3 times more likely to win the Rose than the midweeker. That said, today I would back Impending ($15) to beat them both but that’s another story. It’s also interesting and odd that both Snowden (s) colts are owned pretty much by the same interest and that they are so closely related as they share the G3 winner Compulsion (Danehill — Bold Promise) as their 2nd Dam. Mediterranean should have been 10s on first-up off those trials and so the $1.60 was a luxury. Not only did he win that day, but it’s one of the best wins I can ever recall at Canterbury. He was back and wide throughout but just blew them off the park with a huge turn if foot; wow. Unlike, Capitalist who has never seen the wet, Mediterranean’s win was on heavy 8 so that’s a big reassurance. 4. HAIR TRIGGER (64) is a nice horse. He may only be a Wyong winner to this point but his runs either side of the win were blinders. He still has a few rough edges in that he can give away HUGE starts but there’s no doubting his finish. I just can’t see him giving a start to a colt as good as Mediterranean clearly is and catching him? 1. QUICK FEET (75), the other of the Snowden (s) runners has handy form from her 2YO days having won at WF, placed in the Reisling and ran in the Slipper (10th beaten 5.1-lens).

RACE 7

CAN 2. KING’S OFFICER (77) keep the winning sequence going? If he wins tomorrow it will be 5 in a row, no wonder they have tagged him as Sydney’s most improved horse. It’s not only the fact he is winning, it’s the way he is doing it. He is completely opposite to Sydney’s ‘other’ most progressive horse, Esteban, who does it Might And Power style, King’s Officer is more ‘Kiwi’. Three little words — why not again? That said, this is a terrific race — by that I mean, very even — you never know, it could be 8 abreast at the end here, it has been before with a few of these in recent times. I really like 10. DUBAIINSTYLE (64) tomorrow as either the winner or the runner-up to King’s Officer. If I could tip them both I would — gosh, he (Dubaiinstyle) is getting close to a win now, very, very close. Of the others 3. SUBORIC (76) and 7. SO WILLIE (73) have been right there, 5. QUICK DEFENCE (74) too, on the multiple occasions they have all come up against each other.

RACE 8

YOU know how you watch a horse trial and think ‘ that’ll win when

ever, wherever if goes first-up’, well that’s exactly what I though about two horses on the Randwick card tomorrow and they are in the final two races namely 2. DIXIE BLOSSOMS (80) in this one and Chetwood in the last race. As for Dixie Blossoms, she is a lightly-raced mare from the Ron Quinton stable that is 5s 2-2-0 (4th at the other). She went from a midweek maiden winner (huge win!) on debut to finishing 0.8-lens to subsequent G1 winner Single Gaze in the G3 Keith Nolen. As mentioned, that trial (3rd at Randwick) on Jul. 15 was sensational. 8. VIADUCTRESS (71) was $10 into $9 first-up at Rosehill last Saturday finishing 2.3-lens 5th to the promising Interstellar. That was a very encouraging run on Viaductress’ part given she is 3s 0-0-0 fresh and 2s 1-0-1 when second-up which she is here. Has no weight now with Deanne Panya’s claim and expertise. 4. TREE OF JESSE (78) was way, way below her best first-up here on Jul. 9. The 1400m first-up on a heavy 9 was too much her, not so much the wet but the trip. Back to 1200m is perfect and she trialled enormous at Randwick on Jul. 29. Expect a very different result this time.

RACE 9

WHAT a race! This could be a very deep form race for the spring carnival, not only here but down in Melbourne too. The more I see of 6. CHETWOOD (73) the more I am convinced he is a Group horse. Big (tall) and blessed with a HUGE stride, he does it so easily — he is so fluent in his action. His two trials have been THE best trials in Sydney IMO of any horse in recent weeks. Re the wet, I am not sold on Exceed And Excel’s on bottomless tracks, even less so Chetwood’s dam-sire Marauding but looks at the next three dam-sires — Whiskey Road, Sovereign Edition and Hermes! Barrier 1? By this time, the inside could be quicksand but they don't call Avdulla ‘the gun’ for nothing. Go and watch his ride on Conarchie on Wednesday — ride of the season (so far!). 2. BURNING PASSION (75) is the fit and in-form horse in the race and that counts for plenty on a day like Saturday threatens to be. He’s deadset flying. Chewtood’s stablemate 1. HAPTIC (82) is a high quality racehorse, I tipped him to win the Slipper, so I like the horse and he has trialled well into this. 11. CANNYESCENT (69) likewise is super promising and I was sure he’d win first-up after watching his trials but I surely never expected him to bump into Chetwood.