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Randwick Guineas and Canterbury Stakes: Group 1 previews and tips

There is a lot of good racing this weekend. (AAP Image/Craig Golding)
Expert
8th March, 2018
8

There’s a feast of quality racing this Saturday. Yesterday we looked at Super Saturday at Flemington, where the Australian Cup and Newmarket Handicap will be run, but Randwick also deserves attention with a couple of Group 1s of their own.

Randwick Guineas

The Randwick Guineas isn’t the most prestigious Guineas run in Australia, as that honour goes to the Caulfield, but you can make the case that it should be. There are no dud winners of this race.

The Hobartville Stakes is the prime lead-up race for the Randwick Guineas, as this year provides half the field.

Kementari showed his class without winning in the spring, but has established himself as the testing material among three-year-olds this autumn with two strong victories.

He was awesome in taking out the Eskimo Prince first up, and used tactical speed from a wide gate to never really give his rivals a chance in the Hobartville.

Kementari has drawn to get the run of the race here, and his obvious quality means he is simply the one to beat from that position.

The next four across the line were all very good in the Hobartville.

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Pierata nabbed second, beaten a length, after sustaining his run up the Rosehill straight. He already appeals as a horse that is never going to run badly.

D’Argento was the strongest through the line in third, really savaging the post in a manner that suggests he’s really going to come into his own at a mile and beyond. It will be a surprise if he doesn’t prove to be top class.

Trapeze Artist was fourth after setting the pace, and his admirers may have been a touch disappointed. He’s a Golden Rose winner, so the bar is set high, and rightfully so, but he was still very competitive in a hot field.

Ace High was fifth, and the VRC Derby and Spring Champion winner is tracking beautifully for his longer assignments. His day might not come this week, but he’s on track for the Rosehill Guineas and ATC Derby.

It’s hard to make much of a case for the rest of the Sydney form, but Kaonic is probably the best of the rest from that perspective. The form around from the spring has been solid and he has a nice drop in weight from his last start.

Peaceful State is backing up from the Australian Guineas last week, where he ran second. He was a bit of a street-corner tip on the day, getting well supported in the market. Darren Weir horses thrive the deeper into a prep they go, and he can be expected to improve again.

It will be great to see how the Victorian form stacks up.

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Sully finished midfield alongside Peaceful State in the CS Hayes three weeks ago, but skipped to Australian Guineas run in this instead. He was a couple of lengths off Ace High in the spring, and that horse is about that behind his Sydney competition at this distance range, so it’s hard to see figuring too closely.

The surprise packet, as the Kiwis often are at this time of year, might be New Zealand colt Age of Fire. He placed in the 2000 Guineas back home in November, and won the Levin Classic back in mid-January, both Group 1’s, and his only two starts at 1600m. He’s had a bridging run in between then and now, and should have no fitness excuses at least.

Will Trapeze Artist push forward from a wide barrier, or will connections think it didn’t suit him last start and ride him more quietly? Kementari will be right up there. Siege of Quebec, who was poor despite a wide run in the Hobartville, might take them along. Condor, coming out of very restricted grade, should be up there somewhere too.

Selections: 1.Kementari 2.D’Argento 3.Peaceful State 4.Pierata

Canterbury Stakes

The Canterbury Stakes on the same day as the Newmarket probably dilutes both fields, but such are the scheduling conflicts all too commonplace in the war between Victoria and New South Wales racing.

This year’s edition is about an even a betting race for a weight-for-age Group 1 as we’re likely to see.

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Clearly Innocent is at the top of most markets, and has the interesting record of three wins, including a Group 1, from three starts at the unusual 1300m trip. He’s also a Stradbroke Handicap place-getter at 1350m, so his form around the distance is impeccable. He’ll often need the first-up run, and should be peaking second-up into this.

Endless Drama won the Apollo Stakes three weeks back, just reeling in the ever-tough Global Glamour. We shouldn’t expect him to go backwards on the Doncaster trail, and he draws to get a lovely run again.

Global Glamour always fronts up, but just might be losing that winning feeling a little. As usual, she’ll have her chance to hold them all out from the front.

It’s been a while since Foxplay saluted the judge first, and in fact she hasn’t done so since her three-year-old days. Admittedly, she chased home Winx a couple of times in the spring, but her first-up run was her best that prep. She returned well in the Millie Fox, and it would be good to see proof that her best can win a race of this nature. The jury is a little bit out.

Invincible Gem strikes the race first-up, with Kris Lees working out that she is at her most devastating when fresh. She won the Missile Stakes first-up in the spring, beating Le Romain, and was then only seen once again. We can rest assured that this race has been targeted a long way out.

Happy Clapper and Derryn are also on first-up assignments. The former probably won’t have the ping to beat some genuine sprinters at this kind of trip, while Derryn lacks the class to beat them all at WFA.

A couple of three-year-olds are sure to make things interesting.

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Showtime has gone back and forth between Sydney and Melbourne looking for a win against the older horses, and has been running very well. His versatility is a plus, and he’s got the quality to win.

Tulip didn’t beat a lot in the Typhoon Tracy at Moonee Valley, but needed the confidence boost of victory. Her fifth in The Everest last year would be ultra-competitive in this, and let’s not forget she’s also a Golden Slipper placegetter, so is a classy filly. Leave her out at your peril.

Global Glamour will lead, with Invincible Gem not far away. Showtime might make use of his light weight and camp right on the speed. It won’t be a hectic tempo, but they should go along at an even clip, enough to give every horse their chance.

Selections: 1.Invincible Gem 2.Tulip 3.Showtime 4.Clearly Innocent

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