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

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

Iowna Merc has been trialling very well ahead of his race return on Saturday. Picture: Grant Guy

Daily Telegraph form analyst Shayne O’Cass runs the rule over every race, including suggested bets, at Royal Randwick 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: Vomo Island is a Team Snowden-trained colt; they had his older sibling Wayupinthesky who foaled a colt by Ole Kirk last spring. As for Vomo Island, he was a certainty beaten at his first visit to Canterbury and split Kandinsky Abstract and Celestial Legend at the other. Ravello was doing his best work late first-up on the Kensington track. Royal Randwick will suit him a whole better. Is it just me or does Rhythm Of Love look a bit like Lost And Running? He’s got a good ‘pattern’ this horse.

Bet: Vomo Island to win

RACE 2

Overview: Sweet Biscuit is a backmarker with a big finish but even so, she has paid a huge price for wide draws at her last two. She was only beaten three lengths in a 14-horse 1100m race at Warwick Farm before her ‘much better than it looked’ run in the Gosford Highway. Bring on Randwick. Jalmari is nothing short of a ‘wealth hazard’, a money-muncher to steal a line from the Duff. That said, he can finish like a train when it all falls into place for horse and rider. Ditto the last bit for Bootscooter.

Bet: Sweet Biscuit to win, exacta 14 to beat 6

Karedada has the talent to overcome a wide draw in the Midway Handicap. Picture: Bradley Photos

RACE 3

Overview: Is Karedada the horse that makes Angela Davies a dual Provincial Midway Final winning trainer? Could be. Just for the record, he couldn’t be any different, pattern-wise, to Davies’ 2019 Final winner Through The Cracks. This one is an on speed and sprint away from them. This is more of a test for him now with the wide draw but talent is not the issue. Super Bright has Midway form and has been trialling the house down in the last few weeks. Broken Arrows has a massive finish. He’ll need it now given he drawn the outside gate.

Bet: Karedada to win, quinella 8, 15

RACE 4

Overview: Always been a fan of the flashy Tashi and she hasn’t let anyone down in her four starts. She won on debut, was second twice and third at the other. But what stands out most about her C.V is that she has quite a degree of depth to her form. One other pertinent point to make is that she is trialling extra well. Contemporary, the grandson of the Ron Quinton-bred Mnemosyne, has come good this prep. Not that he was ever bad but there is a bit of upward trajectory about him now.

Bet: Tashi to win

RACE 5

Overview: If there is a horse that deserves, or is closer to a win more at Randwick on Saturday than Cross The Rubicon, let us know. She was famously unlucky in the Provincial Midway Final. Would she have won if she hadn’t blown the start? Hard to say. Was huge late again on the Kensington last start. Vienna Princess is a stakes-winner which has to count for something. Barrier 2 and 1400m gives her ‘her chance’. Kazou has outgrown midweek racing; that said, this is a pretty good off-season race.

Bet: Cross The Rubicon to win

RACE 6

Overview: Wrathful has won three of his six starts and finished fourth at the other three. Funny thing though, you would have to agree surely that he was the ‘run of the race’ in all of his fourth placings. He just ran out of time and space in the Midway at Scone. Me? I think 2000m will be this horse’s best trip. Just A Jedi, aside from Wrathful, is the horse in the race looking, nay, dying for 2000m on a big track. Miracle Spin beat Wrathful at Scone who beat him at Rosehill.

Bet: Wrathful to win, Just A Jedi each-way, quinella 19, 20

RACE 7

Overview: Iowna Merc is an interesting horse. Interesting in as much as he is one of those horses that we don’t know what his ceiling is yet. He went through his grades very quickly last preparation and the fact that it was his first preparation adds considerable merit. Wow, what awesome trials too. Speaking of trials, Lady Brook has been razor sharp in her two. She is one for one at the track and trip and look at her first-up record. Treporti is a major player. Miss Dior might be the place value.

Bet: Iowna Merc to win, Lady Brook each-way

Dragonstone makes his race debut for new trainer Joe Pride and can land a first-up win. Picture: Bradley Photos

RACE 8

Overview: Dragonstone has his name on the same honour roll as the likes of Bragger, Lord Ballina, Mother Duck and more recently Classique Legend given he is the most recent winner of the Bob Charley, once known as the June Stakes. We could be looking at a second Randwick 1100m win for the now Joe Pride-trained gelding on Saturday. Or does his new stablemate Dehorned Unicorn beat him? He himself is one for one at the track and distance and has the perfect draw. Through The Cracks will be steaming home.

Bet: Dragonstone to win

RACE 9

Overview: Just by way of context, I was quite keen on Blondeau first-up at Scone in the Luskin Star but few others were given there wasn’t a bean for the son of I Am Invincible. All in all, there was merit in the run. He was miles off the leaders and they ran home in 33.30. He’s got a good record at Randwick over 1400m. Written Beauty didn’t have a lot of luck in the Hawkesbury Crown. Just going to need an out on Saturday from barrier 2. Cisco Bay, the Big Dance runner-up is in great nick. Irish Sequel could sneak a third or fourth here.

Bet: Blondeau each-way, Cisco Bay each-way

RACE 10

Overview: Green Shadows was one of just 17 foals born in Menari’s first crop. Menari’s trainer Gerald Ryan paid $80,000 for Green Shadows at the Magic Millions. Good buying seeing as he is $100,000 in front after 11 starts. Can’t say his trial was out of this world but he’s a capable horse. Speaking of trials; Gracilistyla has run 10th of 10 and then eighth of 10 but wasn’t asked to do anything – zero. Super Effort likes it here at Randwick.

Bet: Green Shadows to win, Gracilistyla to place