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THE LAST SAY: Tips, inside mail as The Championships arrive at Royal Randwick

Can Linebacker win The Doncaster? Will Joliestar prove herself as the nation’s top sprinter? Ray Thomas previews a massive day of Australian racing highlighted by Day 1 of The Championships at Royal Randwick.

Ray Thomas
6 min read
April 5, 2025 - 7:15AM
Punters – Hold All Tickets Ep 30 – Alex's $3+ declaration

Can Linebacker enhance the great record of three-year-olds in the Doncaster Mile and is Joliestar set to announce herself as the nation’s best sprinter in the TJ Smith Stakes?

Will Aeliana become only the second filly this century to win the ATC Australian Derby and can Wodeton finally secure the all-important big-race win in the Sires?

These questions and more will be answered on an outstanding Day One of The Championships at Royal Randwick today.

Linebacker is the $6.50 TAB Fixed Odds favourite for the Group 1 $4 million Doncaster Mile (1600m) after his tough Randwick Guineas win.

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The John O’Shea and Tom Charlton-trained Linebacker is attempting to become the 41st three-year-old to win the Doncaster but this is the strongest field assembled for the famous Randwick mile in recent memory with 13 individual Group 1 winners and it promises to be a real spectacle.

Celestial Legend, the reigning Doncaster Mile champ, was withdrawn on race morning, giving the Team Hayes-trained first emergency Rise At Dawn a start in the big race. The gelding will be ridden by Tyler Schiller, who was originally committed to three-year-old Swiftfalcon, who didn’t gain a start as second emergency. Swiftfalcon will instead start in the Group 3 Carbine Club Stakes, for which he is a $1.80 favourite.

Joliestar is coming off her brilliant Newmarket Handicap win and is the $4 favourite for the Group 3 $3 million TJ Smith Stakes (1200m).

The feature sprint often shapes The Everest field with the winner almost certain to earn a slot in the world’s richest turf race later this year.

Aeliana’s bid to create a piece of racing history in the $2 million ATC Australian Derby (2400m) is fascinating.

Although winless in three starts this autumn, Aeliana has been racing in very good form and was an unlucky second in the Rosehill Guineas last start. She is $2.90 favourite to become only the second filly this century after Shamrocker (2011) to win the Derby.

Wodeton is a high-profile colt with a big pedigree so a lot rides on his attempt to secure a breakthrough Group 1 win in the $1 million Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m).

The Chris Waller-trained, Coolmore-owned Wodeton is the $2.80 favourite to avenge his narrow loss in the Golden Slipper.

• EXPERT TIPS: Professional punter James Molony’s race-by-race tips and analysis for Randwick on Saturday

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ROYAL RANDWICK
Weather: Mild, sunny day and a forecast top temperature of 25c.
Track: Soft (5).
Rail: True.

CAULFIELD
Weather: Cool, cloudy day with the chance of showers and a forecast top temperature of 18c.
Track: Good (4).
Rail: 9m out.

EAGLE FARM
Weather: Warm, partly cloudy day with the chance of a shower and a forecast top temperature of 29c.
Track: Soft (7).
Rail: 1m out.

MORPHETTVILLE
Weather: Mild, partly cloudy day with a forecast top temperature of 22c.
Track: Good (4).
Rail: 3m out 1000m to winning post, true remainder.

• Ray & Duff’s Randwick tips, analysis: Duff thinks filly has Derby at her mercy

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BE WARY: Royal Randwick has its first meeting in a month with the rail back in the true position for Day One of the Championships. The Randwick track surface is rated a soft 5 but is expected to continue improving and be close to a good 4 by the first race. Expect the track to race fairly. Caulfield’s rail is out 9m and with the good 4 track rating, it is likely to favour those on speed.

• Clinton Payne’s Doncaster Mile runner-by-runner form analysis and tips

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ROYAL RANDWICK TIPS

BEST BET: SWIFTFALCON (Race 4 No.2) is very well-placed at the weights in the Carbine Club Stakes only 3kg over the limit. The Team Hawkes-trained Swiftfalcon has been racing in great form without winning this autumn with placings in the Hobartville Stakes, Randwick Guineas and Rosehill Guineas. Swiftfalcon tends to settle back in the field but he does have a brilliant finishing burst and with even luck he’s clearly the horse to beat.

THE NEXT BEST: CLEAN ENERGY (Race 10 No.1) scored a monstrous Moonee Valley win last start, overcoming a pronounced track bias to improve her record to three wins and a third from four starts. Promising filly who won both her starts last season, beating Lady Shenandoah each time and that filly is now a three-time Group 1 winner. Clean Energy missed the spring and has only had two runs back this autumn so there is more to come from her. She’s in the closer but the wait will be worth it.

VALUE BET: HEADWALL (Race 7 No.4) is capable of an upset in the TJ Smith Stakes. He won The Warra at Kembla Grange breaking 56s for the 1000m late last year and has returned in even better form. Headwall was the unlucky runner when fourth in the Oakleigh Plate then chased Joliestar throughout in the Newmarket Handicap before finishing second. He’s been kept fresh since but looked in exceptional order closing fast for second in a Randwick barrier trial last week. Headwall is great value at $21.

THE WHISPER: NORTH ENGLAND (Race 1 No.1) had a setback earlier this autumn and missed a vital lead-up run into the Golden Slipper where the colt ran gamely for sixth. The Golden Gift winner earlier this season, North England drops back to 1100m which should suits him in the Kindergarten Stakes.

• Clinton Payne’s Australian Derby runner-by-runner form analysis and tips

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CAULFIELD TIPS

BEST BET: JUST GLAMOROUS (Race 3 No.13) is a lightly-raced, well-bred mare by unbeaten American Triple Crown winner Justify. She resumed with an all-the-way win at Canterbury then got run down by Art Volant at Warwick Farm. Just Glamorous has had a month between runs but looked sharp winning a Caulfield barrier trial by four lengths two weeks ago. She’s been carrying big weights in Sydney and drops to 52.5kg after the claim in a winnable race.

NEXT BEST: SCENIC POINT (Race 1 No.6) is very short in betting but is a bankable bet in the Caulfield opener. She’s a well-bred daughter of champion sire Written Tycoon and cost $450,000 at the Inglis Easter Sale last year. Scenic Point looked like she was worth every cent when making a winning debut at Pakenham, coming from just behind the leaders and dashing clear to win by a widening margin of nearly four lengths. She should win again.

VALUE BET: SUPERNIMA (Race 4 No.13) scrambled home at Pakenham first-up then had his chance when second at the same track last start. This is harder but he’s drawn to get the run of the race from barrier five while most of his main rivals are drawn wide and will need to do some work early in the race. This just might give Supernima the winning edge and we get generous odds of $9 to find out.

THE WHISPER: KINGS VALLEY (Race 6 No.2) has had eight starts over an extended preparation that began back in October but he’s won four races and hasn’t missed a place during this period. He was rewarded for his consistency when he was sent and he scored at Randwick. King’s Valley is yet to win two races in succession but this is his chance.

• EXPERT TIPS: Brad Waters’ race-by-race tips, analysis for Caulfield on Saturday

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TAB FIXED ODDS BIG BETS AND MARKET MOVERS

ROYAL RANDWICK
Race 1: North England $3.50-$3.40, King Of Pop $4.40-$4.20, Beskar $8-$5.50, Hay Street $26-$14, Sylph $26-$19, Stormland $26-$17
Race 2: Polymnia $3.60-$3.30, Dominetta $4.60-$4.40, Canny Queen $11-$9
Race 3: Alalcance $2.80-$2.60 including a $5000 bet at $2.70, Waltham $11-$8.50 after a $9000 bet at $8, Athabascan $11-$9
Race 4: Swiftfalcon $2.30-$1.85 including a $2000 bet at $2, Evaporate $3.60-$3.10
Race 5: Gallant Star $3.50-$3.20, Know Thyself $4.40-$3.90, Intervarsity $15-$7
Race 6: Bellazaine $11-$9, Prestige Forever $15-$11, Buffalo $26-$19
Race 7: Jimmysstar $11-$8.50, Headwall $51-$21
Race 8: Gringotts $8-$6.50, Royal Patronage $11-$10, Firestorm $11-$8
Race 9: Aeliana $3.80-$3 with a $6000 bet at $3.80, Willydoit $4.60-$3.60 after a wager of $3000 at $4.20
Race 10: More Territories $15-$14, Flying For Fun $26-$15

CAULFIELD
Race 1: Scenic Point $1.75-$1.55 with bets of $5500 at $1.80, $2000 at $1.95, Aleppo Pine $4.40-$4, Facilitate $8-$7.50, Mednyi $10-$9.50
Race 2: Heart Of Glass $3.50-$2.80, Barbaric Lad $5.50-$5, Prancing Spirit $13-$6.50
Race 3: Just Glamorous $4.40-$2.80, Pink Chandon $5-$3.80
Race 4: Hughes $7.50-$5.50, Longtimedreaming $12-$9.50, Supernima $16-$9, Nearing Liberty $17-$13
Race 5: Statuario $2.90-$2.25, Red Aces $7-$6
Race 6: My Brother’s Keeper $6.50-$5.50, Burlington Gate $11-$7.50, Fortune $11-$9, Preferential $17-$9, Denmark $13-$10
Race 7: Mckeyla $7-$4.20, Lovelycut $6.50-$5.50, Certain Rise $8.50-$6, Thames $10-$8.50
Race 8: Cilacap $7.50-$6, Poison Chalice $7.50-$5, Future History $10-$9 with a bet of $2000 at $8.50
Race 9: Suparazi $9-$6, Regal Zeus $7.50-$7, Riot And Rose $26-$11
Race 10: Elouyou $4-$3.50, Porter $8-$6.50, Carbonados $8.50-$8, Paradise City $9-$8, Regal Azmon $9.50-$9

• Jett Hatton’s TJ Smith Stakes runner-by-runner form analysis and tips

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INTERSTATE MAIL
Eagle Farm Race 1 No.2 PROFOUNDLY
Eagle Farm Race 10 No.13 HELL
Morphettville Race 2 No.3 SIR NOW
Morphettville Race 5 No.11 JILLADORA

• EXPERT TIPS: Graeme Carey’s best bets, race-by-race tips, analysis and quaddie picks for Eagle Farm on Saturday

PROVINCIAL MAIL
Hawkesbury Race 3 No.12 SIESTA
Hawkesbury Race 9 No.3 HOOLIGAN TOMMY

• Laurie’s Longshots: $23 tip at Randwick

#Good luck today and I hope you back plenty of winners

Originally published as THE LAST SAY: Tips, inside mail as The Championships arrive at Royal Randwick

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