Horse Racing Preview Weekend 14 02

Worth a closer look…

The ThoroughbredNEWS team look at different aspects of the form ahead of another top weekend of domestic and international action. There may or may not be winners, but there are definitely some interesting points of view worth a closer look…

Race times are all Australian Eastern Standard Time.

FRIDAY

Canterbury Race 6 – 8:30pm Proven Thoroughbreds Handicap (1100m)

AARDVARK is one of the more interesting runners over the weekend having switched stables and been gelded. Winner of the Listed Talindert Stakes (1100m) at Flemington this time last year, the son of Capitalist was regarded as a future stallion prospect at one stage of his career but failed to measure up as a spring 3-year-old when tested in the Group 2 Danehill Stakes by the Leon & Troy Corstens & Will Larkin training enterprise. Aardvark is now with Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott and based in Sydney, so the change of approach should be noted. The booking of J-Mac is not too insignificant either!

SATURDAY

Randwick Race 3 – 1:40pm Coolmore Pierro Plate (1100m)

Once more back into the fraught world of two-year-olds we step after confirmation last week that Beiwacht can, and did, demonstrate ability to place himself back into the Golden Slipper picture. The Pierro Plate has an interesting field of potential Slipper candidates spanning a range of sires. There are two Snitzel colts, COMEDY and UNITED STATES. Godolphin’s Comedy won the Kirkham over 1000m back on October 26th and Coolmore’s stallion syndicate owned United States was second to Open Secret over 1000m on January 25th. Then there is the So You Think (NZ) colt NORDIC VIKING who was third in the same race, with the colts coming from sixth and ninth respectively at the 400m. Throw into the mix PALLATON (Wootton Bassett) and SKY LOOK (Written Tycoon) and we have a contest.

Randwick Race 5 – 2:50pm Group 2 Ashai Super Dry Expressway Stakes (1200m)

On a day of Group 1 stars the Waller stable’s JOLIESTAR is looking to resume with a show of ability reflecting her three-year-old spring and 2023 1000 Guineas win. Last spring was a step into major and tough company and it did not work after an initial win in the Group 3 Show County over 1200m on August 24th. Expectation levels were raised with the performance and a slot in The Everest was allocated. However, the campaign did not go well with two seventh placings in both The Everest and the Golden Eagle. The four-year-old Zoustar mare is well supported in the market for her return with the result to determine her autumn plans.

Flemington Race 6 – 3:05pm Listed The Elms Handicap (1400m)

CHORLTON LANE (IRE) is on a quick back-up in this Listed event after looking the winner of the Group 3 JRA Plate (1600m) at Caulfield last weekend — only to be caught in the dying stages of the contest. Five times successful over 1400m, this import felt the pinch over the ‘mile’ and there’s good reason to believe that this shorter trip will suit him perfectly — even taking into consideration the much longer Flemington straight. To be ridden by Blake Shinn from barrier 1 just as the import was last week, Chorlton Lane (Ire) seems certain to be given every chance to enhance his impressive strike-rate over the specialist trip of ‘seven furlongs’.

Flemington Race 8 – 4:15pm Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning (1000m)

There’s good reason to believe that GROWING EMPIRE was ‘over the top’ when he was comfortably beaten by Switzerland in the Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) last November and that he can reverse the placings first-up in this time honoured event. The valuable Zoustar colt had just missed in the Mankato Stakes at WFA, and had taken on the likes of Bella Nipotina and Giga Kick in The Everest, and if you throw in a trip up to Sydney and back he’d done plenty by the time these two star 3-year-olds faced off for the first time. Growing Empire gets his chance to avenge that previous beating and record a deserved victory at the very highest level as the longer-priced combatant of the two.

Randwick Race 8 – 4:35pm Group 2 Petaluma Apollo Stakes (1400m)

Set the afternoon alarm for 4.35pm and a field of eight with 17 Group 1 victories between them all commencing their latest campaigns. The world star of course is Chris Waller’s VIA SISTINA (IRE) with six of those Group 1 wins to her page, including an 8L demolition of the WS Cox Plate last year at The Valley in record time. Here is the Fastnet Rock mare back again to remind us of a different playing field. However, there is the no small matter of stablemate FANGIRL who looked very sharp galloping at Randwick last week. Could the Sebring mare bring that sharpness to the 1400m of this traditional opening Group 2 to overcome Vis Sistina working through her gears better suited to longer. The weekend must watch.

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