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The three-year-old Triple Crown kicks off today with the first leg, the Group 1 Randwick Guineas. Join us from 4.15.pm AEST for a race preview, live updates and post-race analysis.
El Roca leads the market following an impressive in the Eskimo Prince stakes, beating home Dissident.
Since then however, co-trainers trainer Trent Bussutin and Natalie Young have been at war with Racing NSW stewards, who derailed El Roca’s preparation when they scratched him from the Hobartville Stakes when he was the firm favourite.
Instead, he had to run last week in the Liverpool City Stakes, where he ran a gallant second behind Terravista but the form out of that race can be questionable considering he was jumping from his age group to an Open handicap and now finds himself back at Group 1 level, albeit an age-specific Group 1.
And, he’ll need to overcome the outside barrier here.
With El Roca out of the picture in the Hobartville, Dissident took it upon himself to stroll to a comfortable victory with sectional times that suggest he would have given El Roca a genuine run for his money had the Kiwi not been scratched by the stewards.
Dissident has been mighty consistent throughout his career and rarely runs a bad race. In spring, he genuinely tested Zoustar in the Golden Rose and he has shown enough versatility to suggest he is the complete package who can race on any track, regardless of the pace.
The punters have been very keen on the Kiwis entered today, with plenty of early market action on Atlante, El Roca’s compatriot.
Atlante has been unstoppable across the Tasman on wet tracks and concerns were raised in the Hobartville when he met his first firm track. But that didn’t stop Murray Baker’s Fastnet Rock colt.
Eurozone was the talk of the town leading into the Australian Guineas a fortnight ago, after he went hammer and tongs at Moment Of Change in the Group 1 C.F Orr Stakes to push the multiple Group 1 winner to his limit.
In that run, Eurozone also comfortably defeated Cox Plate winner Shamus Award to lead us to believe he had grown into his body and was ready for a breakout season.
Alas, this was not the case when he met Shamus Award in the Australian Guineas.
Trapped at the front on a hot tempo led by Shamus Award, Eurozone was given his chance at the top of the straight but as the passed the clock tower, his stamina was tested and he ultimately finished fourth.
By Northern Meteor, breeding suggests the mile is right on Eurozone’s limit but when it comes to training extra stamina into a horse, there is none better than Eurozone’s trainer – Bart Cummings.
Out of that Australian Guineas, the two most eye-catching runs came from Criterion and Teronado, who finished second and fifth respectively.
Criterion had no luck in running and couldn’t get out until it was too late but when he did, it was enough to show he is racing very well this campaign and is a genuine winning chance.
In that Guineas, Teronado had faster sectional times over the final four 200m sections in a run. So good were the times, it makes no sense he ran fifth but that’s just because he got too far back in the field.
With a better run in transit, Teronado can win this and provides excellent value in the early markets.
Last time we saw him in Sydney, Bull Point produced one of the performances of the spring when he missed the jump in the Group 1 Golden Rose and flew home to finish third from about 20 lengths back.
It was a freakish performance, which would have won the Golden Rose by some distance had he jumped properly so Bull Point must be respected here.
Savvy Nature ran on nicely in the Hobartville Stakes to finish third and closing. Prior to that, there were doubts over what his best distance would be this now the mile seems very capable.
John O’Shea has flaunted the idea of taking Savvy Nature to the Doncaster; plans to produce him as a stayer may be over.
This race could be won and lost at the barriers, with Dissident drawing 13 and El Roca drawing 14 and only one other runner on their outside.
The Randwick Guineas will jump at 4.47pm AEST.
Roar racing writers’ autumn tipping competition (five points if winning horse is tipped for first; three points if tipped for second; two for third and one for fourth):
Justin Cinque – Roar Racing Editor
1. El Roca
2. Bull Point
3. Atlante
4. Savvy Nature
Cameron Rose – Roar Expert
1. Savvy Nature
2. El Roca
3. Bull Point
4. Atlante
Alfred Chan – Roar Guru
1. Criterion
2. Savvy Nature
3. El Roca
4. Bull Point
Brad Durrant – Roar Guru
1. Savvy Nature
2. El Roca
3. Atlante
4. Koroibete
Brent Ford – Roar Guru
1. El Roca
2. Atlante
3. Dissident
4. Savvy Nature
Points tally after week 1 (Super Saturday):
Brent Ford – 13
Alfred Chan – 7
Justin Cinque – 4
Cameron Rose – 4
Brad Durrant – 4
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