| What | Randwick Races |
| Where | Randwick Racecourse – Alison Rd, Randwick NSW 2031 |
| When | Saturday, September 3, 2022 |
| First Race | 11:40am AEST |
| Watch Live | |
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Visit Ladbrokes |
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A high-quality 10-race program has been assembled for Royal Randwick on Saturday, September 3, and while there aren’t any Group 1 races on the program, there is a real Group 1 feel about the meeting. HorseBetting’s New South Wales racing analyst presents you with his race-by-race betting preview for the meeting, as well as his best bets and quaddie numbers. The track is rated a Soft 7 and the rail is out 7m for the entire course, while the meeting gets underway at 11:40am AEST.
Keep reading for our free race-by-race preview and quaddie selections
Race 1: Class 3 Highway Handicap (1200m)
We start the meeting with a Class 3 Highway Handicap over 1200m and we aren’t going to stray too far from the selections we had in a similar race over 1100m a fortnight ago. One horse who is coming right back in grade though is the Luke Pepper-trained OPAL RIDGE, so we are with her on top from Participator. The three-year-old filly was game in defeat in the Group 2 Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m) last start at this track, going down by just under five lengths. Now back to a Class 3 against bush horses, she should be able to outclass her rivals under James McDonald. Set to get a cozy run from barrier seven, this daughter of Rubick will stamp herself as a live chance in The Kosciuszko (1200m) in October. She looks one of the better bets of the day.
9
OPAL RIDGE
4
PARTICIPATOR
10
XTRA APPROVAL
9
OPTIMO
Next Best
Race 1 – #8 Opal Ridge (7)
3yo Filly | T: Luke Pepper | J: James McDonald (56kg)
$2.50 with Unibet
Race 2: Benchmark 72 Midway Handicap (1800m)
Siding with one at odds here. Although DUTY is currently the first emergency, we expect she will get a run given that there is a bit of rain around. While the Peter Robl-trained mare hasn’t won for over 12 months, the last time she was in the winner’s stall she was too good for three-time Group 1 winner Duais, so she clearly has ability. She’s drawn kindly in barrier four and Andrew Adkins rode her well last start, so if she gets a run she can be somewhere in the money.
16
DUTY
6
SCORCHED LAND
2
BROWN THOMAS
5
BUBA
Race 3: Benchmark 78 Handicap (1100m)
We are a bit surprised to see SHIHONKA go up double figures with online bookmakers, even despite the 60kg. The Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained mare won three of her first six starts and although she hasn’t won since December, she’s mixed it with the best in races like the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas (1400m) and the Group 1 Surround Stakes (1400m). Drawn in barrier nine, Tim Clark will have the option to take a sit off what looks a genuinely hot tempo, allowing the resuming four-year-old to get into a bit of a rhythm, rather than just being handlebars down from the get go. Her trials have been good and she tends to race well fresh, so we are more than happy to be with this mare first-up on Saturday.
2
SHIHONKA
1
RUBINOCCHI
10
LADY BANFF
13
HOOVER LUCY
Race 4: Listed Tattersall’s Club Cup (2400m)
This race could completely flip on its head, with a number of horses dual accepted for Friday’s Wyong Gold Cup (2100m). RAGING BULL isn’t one of those, and given the fact that he was scratched on the quick back-up a couple of weeks ago and saved for this, we want to be with him. The David Payne-trained stayer was impressive defying the pattern first-up over 1800m, so he should really appreciate getting out to 2400m on Saturday, while he also drops 7kg to 54kg with Chad Schofield once again in the saddle. There’s no reason why he can’t win again off the strength of his first-up win.
6
RAGING BULL
2
LORD ARDMORE
1
ARAPAHO
8
GROVE FERRY
Race 5: Group 3 Concorde Stakes (1000m)
The trek to The Everest (1200m) begins here in the Concorde Stakes. Three of the past five winners of this race have gone on to win The Everest (Redzel 2017 & 2018, Nature Strip 2021), so all eyes will be on this race on Saturday. While there isn’t the likes of Nature Strip or Mazu stepping out in this, there are some heavy hitters – namely EDUARDO and Masked Crusader. The nine-year-old gelding from the Joseph Pride stable is the one to beat first-up over 1000m in our books, with the big chestnut one of the only horses to beat Nature Strip in recent memory. Nash Rawiller knows the son of Host better than anyone, and although he has to lug 60.5kg, he won’t have to do any work from barrier four and he should prove too good once again.
1
EDUARDO
2
MASKED CRUSADER
7
ZAPATEO
- 5
ATHELRIC
Race 6: Group 2 Furious Stakes (1200m)
The second leg of the Princess Series will be run on Saturday, with a number of nice three-year-old fillies stepping out in the Furious Stakes over 1200m. IN SECRET was a pretty good thing beaten in the Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m) a fortnight ago, so we are tipping that she will atone for bad luck and go one better in this. The James Cummings-trained filly was unbeaten in her first racing preparation and she was then only narrowly beaten first-up off only one trial. James McDonald has stuck with her over Paris Dior who he won the $1 million Percy Sykes Stakes (1200m) on in the autumn, so that could also be a little guide. In Secret is full of class and we expect her to bounce back.
- 6
IN SECRET
2
SHEEZA BELTER
3
PARIS DIOR
11
MADAME POMMERY
Race 7: Group 2 Tramway Stakes (1400m)
Since his first Australian win in May last year, ZAAKI hasn’t lost back-to-back races, so on that trend, he should bounce back after his Doomben Cup (2000m) defeat. The Annabel Neasham-trained eight-year-old is one of the nation’s best horses, so there is little doubt that he would have held his own in either of the two 1400m Group 1 races that have been run over the past fortnight, but the connections have instead waited for this Group 2 assignment which we like. Zaaki won this race last year in a canter and he gets in here ridiculously well with 59kg, so he should be very hard to beat once again. Drawn barrier five, James McDonald will likely control the race from the front – or at least follow a horse like Bigboyroy – before producing the favourite at the business end. He’s odds-on, but he looks the bet of the day at Randwick given his fresh record as he heads towards the Cox Plate (2040m).
- 1
ZAAKI
3
CONVERGE
4
PROFONDO
7
NIMALEE
Best Bet
Race 7 – #1 Zaaki (5)
8yo Gelding | T: Annabel Neasham | J: James McDonald (59kg)
$1.80 with Ladbrokes
Race 8: Group 3 Chelmsford Stakes (1600m)
The Chelmsford Stakes has shaped to be a very competitive race, with some proven horses like Montefilia and Mo’unga up against some up-and-coming runners including Stockman, Benaud and NUMERIAN. While the Neasham-trained Numerian might be wanting a bit further than 1600m, the Q22 (2200m) winner has looked sharp in his trials and gallops alongside Zaaki to suggest he will run a bold race fresh. Drawn the inside alley under Tommy Berry, the six-year-old son of Holy Roman Emperor is likely to roll along on the speed to suit himself, with Knight’s Order the only other speed influence in the race. A repeat of his Doncaster Handicap (1600m) run over this track and distance on a Heavy 9 in the autumn is enough to see him right in the finish in a race like this. Tommy Berry has also hopped off Mo’unga who he has had plenty of success on, so we are pretty confident that this horse has come back as a real force and he could prove to be the one to beat in the Caulfield Cup (2400m).
2
NUMERIAN
- 14
BENAUD
15
MONTEFILIA
9
SUREFIRE
Best Value
Race 8 – #2 Numerian (1)
6yo Gelding | T: Annabel Neasham | J: Tommy Berry (59kg)
$10 with Palmerbet
Race 9: Benchmark 78 Handicap (1200m)
Ciaron Maher & David Eustace saddle up PIONEER RIVER in the penultimate race on Saturday, and after two third placings in Melbourne, we think he can win third-up in Sydney. The five-year-old son of Snitzel placed behind Chain Of Lightning and Fire in his latest outing down the straight at Flemington and that form has been franked since in Group level, so it should stand up in a Benchmark 78. Hugh Bowman goes on, they’ve drawn well in barrier six and he maps really well, taking bad luck out of the equation under the big weight of 61.5kg. With even luck, Pioneer River can win a race like this.
1
PIONEER RIVER
5
SILENT IMPACT
6
STARMAN
11
SEBONACK
Race 10: Benchmark 94 Handicap (1600m)
We finish off the afternoon’s racing with a very competitive Benchmark 94 Handicap which includes a couple of Group 1-performed runners and that is the way we are going to go. Chris Waller and Hugh Bowman combine with PATERNAL who was last seen when second to Pinarello in the Group 1 Queensland Derby (2400m). The son of Savabeel has had two nice trials leading up to this first-up run and he should carry plenty of residual fitness after his Brisbane preparation. While he may be bred to stay and his best form is over longer distances, his two wins have been over 1400m and 1600m, albeit in lesser grade, but it tells us that he doesn’t need to be in staying races to be competitive. He will get back from barrier 11, but if the rain comes and they are getting out off the fence, Paternal will be storming home in the best part of the track.
4
PATERNAL
- 8
ALCYONE
13
WICKLOW
7
YALETOWN
Saturday quaddie tips for Royal Randwick
Randwick quadrella selections
Saturday, September 3 2022
- 1
- 2-14-15
- 1-5-6-11
- 4-7-8-13-14
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