Chris Waller can bring up George Ryder quinella with Boban and Red Tracer
THERE are seven individual Group 1 winners in the George Ryder but Ray Thomas is tipping a Chris Waller quinella of Boban over Red Tracer.
1 1x541 BOBAN Chris Waller Glyn Schofield 9 59kg
2 1274x GORDON LORD BYRON (IRE) Tom Hogan Craig Williams 5 59kg
3 x21x0 MY KINGDOM OF FIFE (GB) Chris Waller 14 59kg
4 835x4 SACRED FALLS (NZ) Chris Waller Zac Purton 2 59kg
5 16x85 TOYDINI Guy Walter Blake Shinn 4 59kg
6 3x627 SPEEDINESS Colin Scott Damien Oliver 6 59kg
7 80x31 FAT AL Peter G Moody Craig Newitt 15 59kg
8 13x71 LIDARI (FR) Peter G Moody Chad Schofield 10 59kg
9 12x11 TERRAVISTA Joseph Pride Jason Collett 12 59kg
10 101x3 NINTH LEGION Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes James McDonald 7 59kg
11 11x0x TRES BLUE (IRE) Gai Waterhouse Tommy Berry 8 58.5kg
12 11x13 RED TRACER Chris Waller Michael Rodd 13 57kg
13 12x56 STREAMA Guy Walter Kerrin McEvoy 3 57kg
14 5x122 EL ROCA Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young Hugh Bowman 11 56kg
15 1x243 EUROZONE Bart & James Cummings Jim Cassidy 1 56kg
THE HISTORY
Chipping Norton Stakes-George Ryder Stakes: Prince Ruling (1981), Emancipation (1984), Heat Of The Moment (1986), Telesto (1994), Lonhro (2003)
Hobartville Stakes-George Ryder Stakes: Racing To Win (2006), Pierro (2013)
George Ryder Stakes-Doncaster Mile: Emancipation (1983), Racing To Win (2006), Haradasun (2007), Vision And Power (2009)
George Ryder Stakes-Queen Elizabeth Stakes: Lonhro (2003)
THE TRAINERS
Bart Cummings, Chris Waller and John Hawkes are three-time winners of the race but Hawkes does not have a runner in tomorrow’s race.
Cummings, already a Ryder winner with Hula Drum (1985) and Campaign King (1987-88) is represented by three-year-old eurozone.
Waller has won Ryders with Danleigh (2010), Rangirangdoo (2011) and Metal Bender (2012) and he has a powerful entry on Saturday with a quartet of Group 1 winners — Boban, My Kingdom Of Five, Sacred Falls and Red Tracer.
THE JOCKEYS
Since the Ryder became a weight-for-age race in 1979, the only jockeys to have won the race three times are retired Hall of Famers Ron Quinton and Darren Beadman, and Corey Brown.
As Brown does not have a ride tomorrow, the riding record is safe for another year although Jim Cassidy and Hugh Bowman do have an opportunity to equal the record.
Cassidy has won Ryders on Heat Of The Moment (1986) and Vision And Power (2009), and he is partnering Eurozone. Bowman, a winner on Court’s In Session (2005) and Danleigh (2010) has the mount on El Roca.
THE FAVOURITES
The Ryder has been kind to favourites with 10 winning in the last 30 years including champion colt Pierro at $1.35 last year.
There have been three other odds-on favourites in this period — Campaign King (9/10, 1988), Mouawad (8/11, 1997) and Lonhro ($1.50, 2004). The race isn’t devoid of upset results either with March Hare winning as a 25/1 outsider in 1995 while Rangirangdoo (2011) and Metal Bender (2012) were both at $15.
THE DISTANCE
Only four Ryder runners have won at 1500m — Toydini, Ninth Legion, Streama and eurozone. Toydini, Streama and eurozone have all won over the Rosehill 1500m course.
THE SPECIALIST
Red Tracer excels at Rosehill where she has won four races (four seconds) from 10 starts on her home track.
She has raced over the 1500m course four times for two seconds, both at Group 1 level to Appearance in the Coolmore Classic and Queen of the Turf Stakes last autumn.
Boban, Toydini, Ninth Legion, Streama, El Roca and eurozone have also won races at Rosehill.
THE SPEED MAP
There is good speed in this race but most of it is drawn out wide. There is a run of about 400m to the first turn and I expect Lidari, who led throughout to win the Blamey Stakes at Flemington last start, is certain to roll forward from barrier 10, possibly even leading early.
El Roca is drawn alongside Lidari and he will be up on the speed and I expect Terravista (12) and Red Tracer (13) to slide over, possibly looking to tuck in behind El Roca.
There is some chance Red Tracer could be stick three-four wide without cover. Eurozone from barrier 1 will hold his position while Streama will also settle in the first half dozen.
Irish sprinter Gordon Lord Byron is a Group 1 winner over 1200m and has the speed to take advantage of his favourable draw.
THE LEAD-UP RACES
LIVERPOOL CITY CUP, WARWICK FARM, MARCH 8
Terravista began well and was up on the speed throughout, ranging alongside El Roca at the top of the straight and forging clear to win narrowly but impressively.
El Roca fought back tigerishly and made the winner work right to the line. Ninth Legion was first-up but ran a blinder closing late for third.
CANTERBURY STAKES, ROYAL RANDWICK, MARCH 15
Appearance and Not Listenin’tome ran the quinella in a high quality Canterbury Stakes but both in-form gallopers are out for the rest of the autumn due to injury and illness respectively.
Red Tracer nearly fell at the start when she was checked and went down on her nose so her effort to recover and finish third was quite outstanding.
Sacred Falls (fourth) and Toydini (fifth) both hit the line strongly while Streama (sixth) was her usual competitive self.
AND THE WINNER IS ... BOBAN
The George Ryder Stakes invariably attracts an outstanding field and Saturday’s race is no exception. There are seven individual Group 1 winners in the race and some very talented emerging gallopers.
I’m leaning to Boban over Red Tracer to provide trainer Chris Waller with a Group 1 quinella and a record fourth win in the race.
Boban was back to his brilliant best in the Chipping Norton Stakes, unleashing that explosive burst of acceleration to sweep past It’s A Dundeel to win impressively.
He bounced back from two indifferent runs to start his autumn campaign to regain the form he showed last spring when he reeled off five successive wins including The Epsom and Emirates Stakes.
With the likelihood this race will be run at a solid tempo, backmarker Boban will get the opportunity to finish over the top of his rivals with his customary late charge.
Red Tracer is at risk of being trapped wide without cover from her outside draw but I’m banking on the skills of noted big-race jockey Michael Rodd and the mare’s outstanding ability to overcome the barrier draw.
Red Tracer is a super mare, a two-time Group 1 winner, and she goes into the race in great form after a dominant first-up win in the Millie Fox Stakes before a very good third to Appearance in the Canterbury Stakes after she nearly fell at the start.
Red Tracer has a great record on her home track of Rosehill and there is no better wet-track performer than this mare. On tracks rated slow or worse, she has started in 11 races for nine wins. She ticks a lot of boxes.
El Roca is rock-hard fit and followed a close second to Terravista in the Liverpool City Cup with another close second to Dissident in the Royal Randwick Guineas.
The slightly shorter trip for the Ryder is in his favour and being out of a Rubiton mare, he should handle the track conditions if it gets to slow or heavy. Streama is fitter for two runs from a spell and is getting up to her right trip now. She also races well on rain-affected tracks.
Terravista is a very promising but this is his first test at weight-for-age, Toydini looks ready to fire, while Sacred Falls, Lidari, and eurozone rate highly.
It is difficult to rate Gordon Lord Byron but he does have good northern hemisphere form at Group 1 level.
1 BOBAN, 2 Red Tracer, 3 El Roca, 4 Streama
Best Roughie Toydini
Rain only concern for Moody filly at Flemington
Talented filly Eneeza has one box left to tick this spring when she begins her campaign in the Group 2 Danehill Stakes at Flemington on Saturday.
Sargent buoyed by Sea’s Group 1 potential
With one eye on Group 1 goals later this spring, trainer John Sargent is expecting China Sea to lay down a marker in Saturday’s Listed $200,000 Dulcify Stakes (1600m) at Royal Randwick.
Randwick Turf Talk for Saturday: Mitch’s moral ‘just wins’
Mitch Cohen and Shayne O’Cass debate the chances in all the big races at Royal Randwick on Saturday, where Mitch has a moral on a day featuring three Group 1s and a Premiere sprint.