Horse Racing – Spring Contenders

A five-year-old bay mare, trained by Chris Waller looks set for another Group 1 win throughout the Spring Carnival. She won the Group 1 Ranvet Stakes and Group 1 Tancred Stakes during the Sydney Championships Carnival with James McDonald steering the ship. She had no luck around the tight Valley circuit in the W.S.Cox Plate last Spring, but with the weight-for-age Championship being run on the bigger track at Flemington this season, that could be her grand final.

She will likely kick off her campaign with a first-up run in either the Memsie Stakes or Underwood Stakes at Caulfield, and with her being placed in three of four first-up tries would not be suprised to see her run a bold race. Expect that the Waller camp will take the usual weight-for-age route through the Turnbull Stakes and if she is in form look for her to take on the Cups with a Cox Plate squeezed in between. She has the potential to be the star of the Spring.

A well bred three-year-old colt by the G1 winning sire Home Affairs, trained by the Mick Price and Michael Kent jnr. camp at Cranbourne. The stable have always maintained that he was going to furnish into a better three-year-old, despite him winning the $5 million Golden Slipper tro end his two-year-old campaign. After his Slipper victory, Coolmore Stud purchased a major stallion stake in the colt for a reported $30 million dollars so they will be looking to increase his value this spring and win one of the majors, with maybe a Caulfield Guineas or ironically a Coolmore Stud Stakes high on his agenda.

He has been trialing the house down, recently losing by a nose to Warwoven over 850m on the Kensington track. He looks very forward in his preparation and should return to raceday in the coming weeks with a likely kick-off in the Group 1 Winx Stakes. Hoping he has furnished into the beautifully colt he has always promised to be and expect and exciting campaign from him during the spring and a long and prosperous stud career.

Have been a fan of this underrated four-year-old stallion by Flying Artie who has won 5 of his 12 starts to date. Worked through his classes earlier on in the year, including a strong Group 3 C.S.Hayes Stakes win and that had him high in the betting in Group 1 Australian Guineas where he was beaten less than a length by the smart Observer. He then went to Rosehill and won the G2 Phar Lap Stakes and then finished midfield in the Group 1 Doncaster behind Sheza Alibi. He may have had enough when found them a bit sharp at Eagle Farm prior to break.

He has not yet hit the trial track, but that should not be far away and he is a horse that may take a run or two to hit his straps. His likely first-up runs could be the Memsie Stakes or Rupert Clarke Stakes in the coming weeks with his main targets potentially being the Epsom Handicap at Randwick or Toorak Handicap at Caulfield culminating in a possible Golden Eagle appearance.

Campione D'Italia is a lightly raced three-year-old colt who has only had the 5 starts for 2 career wins. One of those wins was in the Group 1 Inglis Sires Produce when he ran away for an impressive victory over 1400m at Randwick. He then went on and finished second in the Group 1 Champagne Stakes to Fireball over the mile.

He looks like a stayer in the making. He will likely start this campaign off in a couple of weeks, following the two trials he has already competed in. That kick-off could come in the Up & Coming Stakes at Rosehill or perhaps the week later in the McNeil Stakes at Caulfield. He will be targeted at the three-year-old classics—The Caulfield Guineas and potentially The Victoria Derby, if all goes to plan and would not be surprised to see Chris Waller maybe take on a Cox Plate if he shows enough in the earlier races.

A four-year-old mare trained by Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman set tongues wagging after a brilliant win on Derby Day last year in The Vanity at Flemington, when she burst through an opening after being buried away throughout and won her first Group race. She then went on to win the Group 2 Sandown Guineas and then backed that up with and outstanding Group 2 Angus Armanasco Stakes win. She then went to Sydney in the Autumn to win the Group 1 Randwick Guineas before tasking on the older horses and coming from the back for an eye-catching Group 1 Doncaster mile victory.

She has strung together five wins on the trot and will seek more Group 1 glory this campaign. She has had a couple of low-key jump-outs to date and looks set to start her Spring campaign with a shot at the G1 Winx Stakes at Randwick or the Memsie Stakes at Caulfield the following week. Other possible races include the King Charles III Stakes, with her main goal will be The Golden Eagle on October 31.