Group 1 Australian Guineas: Tips and preview

This Saturday is Guineas day. “Which Guineas?” I hear you ask.

“Randwick Guineas and Australian Guineas”, comes the reply.

“But aren’t they both assigned Group 1 status, and both run over 1600m? How could they both be run on the same day? That doesn’t make any sense at all.”

Yes punters, once again we see the two most powerful racing states taking each other on, rather than complementing each other. It’s like a game of roulette where one is black and one is red, but for racing fans and common sense, it comes up double zero.

The Randwick Guineas is worth $250,000 more than the Australian Guineas, but the Australian Guineas has drawn the far higher quality field on ratings. Looking at figures, the Randwick Guineas has one horse rated higher than 86, while the Australian Guineas has nine horses rated 85 and above.

This is also confirmed by the fact that VRC Derby winner Prized Icon is $7 up in Sydney but $13 down in Melbourne.

It doesn’t really matter I suppose, these races are only run to determine the stud value of the winner. The more geldings that win these races, the better off racing fans will be.

Anyway, I digress. Today we’re kicking off with the Australian Guineas.

Hey Doc is the pronounced favourite off the back of his dominant CS Hayes Stakes win, always the key lead-up for the Melbourne colts. His credentials from the spring are sound, given his easy Stutt Stakes win and Caulfield Guineas third, when beaten less than a length after looking the winner halfway down the straight.

Luke Currie should gain the run of the race from barrier two, and his mount will be hard to beat as long as he doesn’t get boxed in.

The quinella from the Cadbury Guineas are also here, Divine Prophet and Seaburge.

Divine Prophet won that day with a finishing surge, and resumed with an even effort in the Orr Stakes against the older WFA horses. Dropping back to his own age, you’d be taking him on trust a little bit, and would be asking yourself where he gets to from his widish barrier in the big field.

Seaburge wasn’t great behind Hey Doc first-up, but the Hayes camp are expecting better things this time around, and it’s unlike David Hayes to be bullish isn’t it? He’s proven at the class, but hasn’t won since his two-year-old days.

Land of Plenty ran third in the CS Hayes. He was a cut below the best rung of three-year-olds in the spring and that looks to be the case again, but he’s a value each-way play. Morton’s Fork was fourth in the same race, and is a fine animal but looks a level below Group 1 class.

Inside Agent comes from the CS Hayes too, where he came from well back to finish fifth. Flemington is his track, and 1600m looks his distance, albeit stepping up to it for the first time. Nigel Blackiston is renowned for timing his horses just right for their Group 1 assignments, particularly on these bigger tracks, as befitting a man with close ties to Bart Cummings. $21 looks overs.

So Si Bon is a consistent colt that always finds a few better, but he’s found a tough race to try and break through in. He’s run top five in both Group 1s he’s contested though, and is a must for first fours.

Oak Door from the Robert Smerdon stable is the likely leader, and will be rock-hard fit after racing through the summer. He’ll give his backers a great sight coming off his Autumn Stakes win.

Attention was beaten a length in that race, and gets 2kgs back from Oak Door for it. Attention then backed his form up by running Black Heart Bart to less than a length in the Futurity last week. Group 1 form doesn’t get much more genuine than that, so he’s a clear player.

First emergency Theanswermyfriend is the spruik horse on the scene, bolting in a Sandown mid-weeker a fortnight ago. You normally need better credentials than that to take this race out, and he looks a risk at the price.

The Australian Guineas always attracts a few fillies that are respected in the betting, and this year is no exception.

Harlow Gold ran third in the Vanity, and is possibly already looking for further than a mile. Legless Veuve beat Hey Doc two starts back but was a touch flat second-up in the Vanity. Fuhryk is a winner, and still has to prove herself in this sort of class, but the Hayes yard can’t be second guessed at the moment.

There are more horses that get back than go forward in this field, and the front of the speed map looks pretty clear cut with Oak Door to take it up from Attention pushing forward from a middle barrier, and the filly Legless Veuve holding a handy position from gate six. If Theanswermyfriend gets a run, he will also be prominent.

Selections: 1.Inside Agent 2.Hey Doc 3.Attention 4.Oak Door