The Victorian spring carnival (some would say the entire Australian racing year) builds to the crescendo that is Melbourne Cup week at Flemington, at the conclusion of which we all take a deep breath.
But the full stop to spring racing comes a week later with nine black-type races, highlighted by the Group 2 features, the Zipping Classic and Sandown Guineas.
This meeting is usually held at Sandown, but due to track renovations happening there, it is being held at Caulfield this Saturday.
Let’s see if we can ascertain the winners of the main races.
Zipping Classic
This isn’t the strongest edition of the race we’ll ever see, and if the horse the race was named after was still running around, he’d probably start at even money like he usually did, even at his current age of 12!
Precedence shares favouritism with Sertorius, and it’s a little surprising he’s not shorter and the outright first-elect after two wins on the trot in quality races – the Moonee Valley Cup and last week’s Queen Elizabeth.
He’s had a beautiful run both times under the care of Craig Williams, and will surely do so again from barrier four here.
Sertorius is among the most honest handful of horses in the land, incapable of putting in a bad run. He was eventually gunned down by Precedence in that memorable Queen Elizabeth on Emirates Stakes day, after being the sitting duck when hitting the front too early.
What a brave animal he is, and sure to be in the firing line once again. The little negative is that he meets his conqueror significantly worse at the weights.
The Matriarch Stakes is the other key race from last Saturday to look at when assessing this race, with half the field coming through it.
Queenstown, Kazanluk and Epingle look the pick of those, while Miss Zenalla could be a nice roughie.
Queenstown is the typically tough Gai Waterhouse on-pacer, and will likely take up the running in a race of little speed on paper. She’ll be hard to defy in the straight, as all but one found in the Matriarch.
Kazanluk is the ‘weight’ horse out of the race, getting a favourable swing dropping back from SWP to WFA.
Epingle’s last two runs suggest she’s on the verge of a win, and Miss Zenalla has a second in the Queensland Oaks to her name at her only start over the 2400m trip.
Ransomed is the only Group 1 and weight for age winner in the field, ticking both boxes by having taken out the Spring Classic in New Zealand earlier this campaign.
The form through those topline Kiwi races hasn’t stood up so far in Australia though, with Xanadu and Nashville both failing in their assignments, albeit in much tougher grade than what Ransomed is facing here.
This Zipping Classic doesn’t look particularly strong on paper, but the three four-year-old mares are all improving and still with bright futures ahead.
If one or two of them can jump out of the ground and rise to the level, we could be in for a testing race.
Selections: 1. Precedence 2. Kazanluk 3. Sertorius 4. Ransomed
Sandown Guineas
Peter Snowden has often held the whip hand coming into this race in recent years, and tomorrow will be no exception.
Paximadia is the rightful favourite after winning what should be the conventional lead-up race, the Carbine Club Stakes, on Derby day.
He had that race handed to him on a platter by being allowed to lead all the way unencumbered, as he did at his previous win two starts earlier.
If he finds himself untroubled again, it will be hard for his competition to get past once more.
Equator didn’t have the acceleration to run past Paximadia in the Carbine Club, and would have been better served going to the front himself to try and control the race.
With Nash Rawiller on board tomorrow, there’s every chance he’ll do just that and be tough to stop.
Best Case gave up too big a start in the same race as the aforementioned two, and can figure in the finish if a bit more speed is engaged here, while Pompeius and Apollo’s Choice are coming off nice runs in Listed company and may surprise.
You couldn’t cross the street in the last few weeks without someone telling you The Quarterback was going to win the Sandown Guineas, so the form behind him must be respected, and Inafrenzy has the best of it at rough odds.
He should have finished closer to that horse last start, and trainer John McArdle knows how to target this type of race.
Outlandish hasn’t been able to crack a win in two goes on the maiden circuit, but looks to be a long way from the worst horse in the race.
Fillies don’t have a bad record in this, and she could finish over the top of them all without shocking.
Selections: 1. Inafrenzy 2. Outlandish 3. Paximadia 4. Equator
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