Group 1 Coolmore Classic attracts strong field

Zougotcha is a $6.50 favourite for Saturday’s Group 1 Coolmore Classic.

A strong field of 18 fillies and mares will duke it out for the $600,000 on offer in Saturday’s Group 1 Coolmore Classic at Rosehill.

Amongst the field are four last-start winners and four Group 1 winners, and with 13 of the 18 runners having a handicap rating of +100, the 2023 edition of the Coolmore looks to be as good as any in previous years.

Online bookmakers are struggling to find a decisive favourite for the 1500m event, with the Flight Stakes winner from the spring, Zougotcha, opening as a $6.50 market elect with Kerrin McEvoy booked for the ride.

Regular jockey James McDonald has hopped off Zougotcha in favour of Hinged, who steps back from solid showings behind Anamoe at weight-for-age level in the Apollo Stakes and then the Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes.

Having been denied by the barest of margins in the Group 1 Surround Stakes as Sunshine In Paris snatched victory, Ruthless Dame is back searching for a maiden Group 1 title and has Daniel Gibbons in the saddle.

The Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr-trained Annavisto will make the trip north having easily disposed of her rivals in the Group 3 Frances Tressady Stakes at Flemington on February 18, but the Reliable Man mare – steered by Nash Rawiller – will need to overcome barrier 16 in an attempt to break her Group 1 maiden.

Hope In Your Heart was an eye-catching winner of the Group 2 Guy Walter Stakes and will be looking to follow the likes of Krone (2021), Con Te Partiro (2020) and Peeping (2016), who all used the Guy Walter as a lead-up run before going on to take out the Coolmore Classic.

Larkspur Run, Mustang Valley, More Prophets, Yearning and Mirra Vision are the other runners coming through the traditional lead-up event and will be out to turn the tables on Hope In Your Heart.

Imports Purplepay and Times Square add further intrigue to what is a wide-open edition of the Coolmore Classic.

2023 Coolmore Classic final field

No.	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight
1	Hinged	Chris Waller	James McDonald	12	57kg
2	Annavisto	Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr)	Nash Rawiller	16	56kg
3	Hope In Your Heart	Kerry Parker	Tim Clark	9	56kg
4	Mustang Valley	Andrew Forsman	Chad Schofield	11	55kg
5	Zougotcha	Chris Waller	Kerrin McEvoy	14	54kg
6	Mirra Vision	Peter & Paul Snowden	Tom Sherry	3	54kg
7	Purplepay	William Haggas	Regan Bayliss	5	53.5kg
8	Expat	Mark Newnham	Tyler Schiller	1	53kg
9	Ruthless Dame	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Dylan Gibbons	10	52.5kg
10	Sheeza Belter	Peter & Paul Snowden	William Pike	7	52.5kg
11	Excelida	Ben & JD Hayes	Brett Prebble	18	52.5kg
12	Larkspur Run	James Cummings	Rachel King	17	52kg
13	Yearning	Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes	Zac Lloyd	8	52kg
14	Espiona	Chris Waller	Michael Dee	6	51kg
15	Times Square	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Jay Ford	13	51kg
16	More Prophets	John Thompson	Brock Ryan	15	51kg
17	Toregene	Matthew Williams	Dean Yendall	4	51kg
18	Pride Of Jenni	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Robbie Dolan	2	51kg