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Chipping Norton Stakes day 2022: Group 1 previews and tips

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24th February, 2022
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Racing fans are in for a treat on Saturday with five Group 1s spread across Victoria and New South Wales.

The first Group 1s of the Sydney autumn carnival have arrived, even if it is still summer. The rain deluge that hits Randwick at this time of year has come early, and we have long been familiar with soft and heavy tracks for their features.

Chipping Norton Stakes

Verry Elleegant and Colette are not just two of the best middle-distance horses in Australia, they are also world-class wet trackers, who will appreciate anything approaching a bottomless track more than their rivals. They ran the quinella in this race last year on a soft 6.

Colette returned in lovely style first up in the Apollo Stakes, and everything should fall into place for her to win her third career Group 1, especially given her main rival might have a question mark over how well she’s returned.

Given Verry Elleegant was coming off a stunning Melbourne Cup win, it was too much to ask her to win first up at 1400 metres just over three months later. We know how much class she’s got, so hopefully she is back close to her best on Saturday.

The only other horse in single figures is Think It Over, and all three of him, Colette and Verry Elleegant will fight out favouritism around that $4 mark.

Damian Lane riding Verry Elleegant.

Verry Elleegant. (Photo by Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images)

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Think It Over has won four races in a row with his first-up victory in the Apollo adding to his three wins in a row to finish off the spring. He was perfectly placed by staying up in Sydney rather than tackling the best horses in Melbourne, so his record is certainly flattered by that. He doesn’t mind wet tracks either.

Top Ranked is the most fascinating runner, given that he is relatively unknown compared to the aforementioned big three. After being Group 1 competitive in Europe, his only run in Australia was a fantastic third to Lost and Running over 1300 metres – that’s Everest form.

It’s hard to recommend too many others in this field given they are either out of form, lacking class or looking for further.

Maximal was backed to run well first up in the Apollo but was just plain awful. He deserves a second chance after his Golden Eagle performance back in October.

Montefilia can give a few a fright if she’s forward enough, but must surely have the Tancred and Sydney Cup on her agenda. Hungry Heart is a nice mare but appears to be below Group 1 level as a four-year-old, and certainly so on wet ground against some of these.

Regardless of how the race is run, this really should be a race in four between the two star mares Verry Elleegant and Colette, the hardy top-liner Think It Over and the x-factor import Top Ranked.

Selections: 1.Colette 2.Top Ranked 3.Think It Over 4.Verry Elleegant

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Surround Stakes

It’s rare to have 18 horses accept in a race and only have two of them under $11, but that’s what we’re faced with in early markets for the Surround Stakes on Saturday. Such is the hype around a pair of Chris Waller fillies in Espiona and Fangirl.

Both horses won Stakes races by big margins at Flemington during the Melbourne Cup carnival to really announce themselves to the racing public, and returned to quinella the Light Fingers at Randwick two weeks ago.

Fangirl gave Espiona a start and a beating in that Light Fingers, nailing her in the closing stages. Was there a hint that Espiona may have thought the job was done and just floated for a stride or two after shaking off Jamaea?

Either way, one was $1.55 and the other was $13, and it was clear after the underdog won there shouldn’t have been that discrepancy between them.

The Light Fingers was run on a good 4, and the Randwick track on Saturday is surely shaping as a heavy, which adds another dimension to proceedings.

Both Espiona and Fangirl have won Stakes races on soft going, but nothing like what they’ll be exposed to on Saturday. Fangirl being out of Sebring helps her chances.

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Close up of a horse

(Image byJackieLou DL via Pixabay)

Jamaea was third in the Light Fingers, and certainly challenged Espiona after peeling off her back. She proved her quality in the spring by winning the Furious and running well in the Golden Rose, but needs to convince us on wet ground.

Zouzarella was fourth in the Light Fingers, the best of the on-pacers. She was pushed out three wide earlier than Kerrin McEvoy would have liked, and gave Espiona the trail into the race. Jumping from 15 probably cruels her chances, but many had her as the pick of the Victorian fillies in the spring.

Startantes was a bit of a hidden run in the Light Fingers, making her run with Fangirl before having to stop riding for a stride and cross over heels before hitting the line pleasingly. There’s a race for her, but I am not sure this is it.

Four Moves Ahead was bad in the Light Fingers, but her fellow leader also tailed right out of that races, and back onto wet ground where she is well proven could unlock the secret for her.

You’d doubt whether they’ll be jumping out of the trees to back anything else in this on Saturday, and the betting will no doubt be a two-horse war. It’s hard to go against the favourites, but there might be more to this race than meets the eye, particularly on very wet ground.

Selections: 1.Fangirl 2.Espiona 3.Four Moves Ahead 4.Zouzarella

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