Trainer Bjorn Baker is banking on the race fitness of Iknowastar and Highlights to handle the heavy track conditions on a seven day turnaround for the Listed $200,000 Winter Stakes (1400m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
Iknowastar is the $2.60 TAB Fixed Odds favourite for the Randwick feature after his close second to Cottee in the Listed Tatt’s Mile last Saturday – his fourth 1600m run in succession.
Highlights, rated at $7.50 in latest betting, has held his form over an extended campaign and last week led all the way to score over 1500m at Rosehill.
“Iknowastar has to come back from 1600m to 1400m, he’s on a heavy track and had an interstate trip during the week so it won’t be easy,’’ Baker said.
“But he’s so consistent and tries very hard in his races, he is still going to be hard to beat.
“Highlights was very good at Rosehill last Saturday, he’s never been going better so it is worth a throw at the stumps.’’
• EXPERT TIPS: James Molony’s tips, race-by-race analysis for Randwick on Saturday
The stablemates both like to lead and dominate in their races but the Racing NSW stewards speed map has Iknowastar leading from his better barrier (five) and Highlights (barrier 11) coming over to settle on his outside.
Baker also saddles up Shezanalister ($4.60) in the Racing For Good On July 13 Handicap (1100m), the well-backed Disneck ($5) in the Catanach’s Jewellers Handicap (1200m) and Shalailed ($14) for the Thank You ATC Members Handicap (1100m).
“Shezanalister is resuming and she has been trialling without blinkers,’’ Baker said.
“She has the blinkers going back on raceday and she’s coming up well. She had a great preparation last time and I think she has improved again.
“I think back to her first start at Muswellbrook and she ran second to Semana who is now a genuine Group 1 horse – you just never know when the next good horse comes along.’’
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Disneck is another of the Baker team on the back-up after his fast-finishing second shouldering 60kg to In Flight at Rosehill last week. He drops to 52kg for the Randwick race.
“I wasn’t guaranteed about running Disneck but he has done so well since Rosehill and we will have a crack with no weight,’’ Baker said.
“He got through the wet track ok last week, he’s up and going so we will give it a shot.’’
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Shalailed is also backing up from the Rosehill meeting where he ran only 11th but was beaten less than four lengths behind Kazou.
At the Sunshine Coast, Baker’s Brisbane Cup winner Alegron has his final start for the season in the Listed $300,000 Caloundra Cup (2400m) and Wategos runs in the Listed $300,000 Glasshouse Handicap (1400m).
“Alegron’s win in the Brisbane Cup was great and he has been ‘flying’ since,’’ Baker said.
“His work since has been fantastic and I know he has to drop back from 3200m to 2400m but I’m pretty confident he can run very well.
“He will go for a break after this and then we will head towards the Melbourne Cup with him.
“Wategos did a good job at Ipswich (third in the Eye Liner Stakes behind At Witz End) last start and he’s really well, very fit and has heavy track form.’’
• GAI’S BIG TIP: ‘Can’t see why he won’t win … and win easily’
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Nash’s chance to overhaul J-Mac
Champion jockey Nash Rawiller can take advantage of James McDonald’s absence and continue to press for Sydney premiership honours.
Rawiller has ridden 75 city winners and trails McDonald by eight wins with only eight meetings remaining for the 2023-24 season.
McDonald is not riding this week due to a stomach complaint and has not put a time frame on his return, opening the door for Rawiller to make a late season premiership charge.
Rawiller has eight rides at Randwick including four favourites Iknowastar ($2.60) in the Winter Stakes, Navy Blood ($3.50) in the Midway Handicap, Contemporary ($3.60) in the Catanach’s Jewellers Handicap and two-year-old filly Winning Proposal ($2.50) in the Petaluma Handicap.
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Lees’ big Call for Winter Stakes
Ucalledit, trained by Kris Lees, is attempting to become the first to win successive Listed $200,000 Winter Stakes this century.
The feature Randwick sprint, which has undergone some race name, distance and venue changes over the years, has not produced a back-to-back winner since Sotip in 1984-85.
In fact, in the race’s long history the only other dual winner was Gentle Lu in 1957-58.
• In-form Schofield’s black type Winter Stakes mission on ‘under-rated’ Essonne
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Marvellous Maher tons up
Champion trainer Ciaron Maher brought up his century of city wins in Melbourne for the 2023-24 season with a double at Sandown midweek.
Maher has secured his third Melbourne trainers’ premiership and will also retain the national title for most wins.
The Maher stable also needs only about $300,000 in stakes to break the $50 million prizemoney barrier for the season. The trainer could achieve the feat on Saturday with big teams entered at Royal Randwick Flemington.
Chris Waller became the first trainer to pass the $50 million mark with his stable quinella from Speycaster and Kureder in the Stayers Cup at Rosehill last week.
• RACEWATCH: Shayne O’Cass’s tips and analysis for Randwick on Saturday
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Snowden finds Flemington favourable
Trainer Peter Snowden has decided to send boom two-year-old filly I Found You to Flemington rather than Royal Randwick on Saturday.
I Found You, a $1.3 million Inglis Easter Yearling Sale purchase, won her debut on the Kensington track by a widening margin of nearly four lengths.
She is superbly bred by champion sire I Am Invincible out of Listen Here, the celebrated broodmare of Snowden’s Caulfield Guineas winner Shooting To Win and brilliant sprinter Deep Field.
• Messara chases Stakes redemption with Know Thyself
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Superstar colt faces his biggest test
English Derby winner City Of Troy takes on older horses for the first time in the Coral-Eclipse Stakes at Sandown on Saturday night (AEST).
The superstar colt’s trainer Aidan O’Brien elected to go to the Group 1 weight-for-age race rather than the Irish Derby last week which was won by stablemate Los Angeles.
None of O’Brien’s previous nine English Derby winners went to the Eclipse and the last horse to achieve the double was Golden Horn in 2015.
But O’Brien has such a high opinion of City Of Troy, the winner of four of his five starts, he is likely to run the colt against older horses for the rest of this year.
“The big leap from this race (Eclipse Stakes) would be the Irish Champion Stakes or the Juddmonte International,’’ O’Brien told English media this week.
“I’d imagine the lads are looking at those races and they might keep him to this part of the world for as long as they can but nothing is written in stone.’’
City Of Troy is also likely to be aimed at the US Breeders Cup Classic later this year, given his sire, unbeaten Justify, completed the US triple crown (Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes) on dirt in 2018.
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LOOKING BACK
5 YEARS AGO
Eckstein, ridden by champion jockey Blake Shinn, finished strongly to edge out Gaulois to win the Winter Stakes, run that year at Rosehill. The David Vandyke-trained Baccarat Baby handled the heavy 10 conditions expertly to win the Winx Guineas by more than two lengths at the Sunshine Coast. River Racer finished fast under Matthew McGillivray to beat Niccanova in the Glasshouse Handicap and former German mare Igraine won the Caloundra Cup.
10 YEARS AGO
Generalife, trained by John O’Shea who had just started his stint at Godolphin, followed his win in the Civic Stakes by completing a feature race double in successive starts taking out the Winter Stakes by a comfortable margin from Romantic Moon. Hopfgarten, trained by Rob Heathcote, won the Sunshine Coast (now Winx) Guineas. The Tony Gollan-trained Alma’s Fury followed his win in the Eye Liner Stakes at Ipswich to take out the Glasshouse Handicap by nearly two lengths from Spitfire Lady. Champion jockey Chris Munce won his thirdd Caloundra Cup when he scored on Brayroan.
20 YEARS AGO
The late, great Jack Denham trained Dial Tones to win the Winter Stakes narrowly from Red Oog. Portland Singa followed his Ipswich Cup win by taking out the Sunshine Coast Cup beating Zabeat. The Neville McBurney-trained Portland Singa returned the following year to win the Brisbane Cup. Tellem, ridden by Stathi Katsidis, won the Glasshouse narrowly from Sportsman.
Originally published as A Star, some Highlights: Bjorn Baker’s Winter wonderland at Randwick