The Villiers Stakes meeting will be held at Royal Randwick this Saturday. The course proper was rated a Soft 7 on Thursday and with further showers forecast for the next few days, Randwick will be racing on a Soft/Heavy surface on raceday.
The Snitzel filly Minnesota has been unbeaten this preparation winning 2 from 2 and will continue with her winning way in the TAB.com.au Handicap (Sydney Race 1, 1100m). She has proven that she can handle the Soft condition and she has won at the distance before. With Taylor Marshall’s claim, Minnesota will only be carrying 52kg. And from barrier 1, Marshall can take the filly straight to the lead and she will be hard to catch. Currently at $7.50 fixed odds, Minnesota is a good value bet.
Saigon Tea looks well placed in the Christmas Cup (Sydney Race 3, 2400m). Some of Saigon Tea’s main competitors don’t seem to handle the Heavy condition (e.g. Permit) but the 5YO will have no such problem. Saigon Tea has won twice and placed twice from 4 starts on Soft & has won 3 times from 4 starts on Heavy. This Chris Waller-trained mare has not missed a place in her last 4 starts and she loves Randwick having won twice & placed once from 4 starts at the venue. Schofield will bite his time at the tail of the field and watch Saigon Tea let down strongly in the straight.
The omen tip of the day is ‘Let’s Make It Rain’ in the Inglis Nursery (Sydney Race 4, 1000m). The Ron Quinton-trained colt finished a terrific 2nd in his debut run two weeks ago after jumping awkwardly. Let’s Make It Rain is by Not A SIngle Doubt out of a Red Ransom mare so I expect him to handle the anticipated wet condition. The 2YO has a fair bit of natural speed so from barrier 7 in a field of 14, Clipperton can take up a forward position and Let’s Make It Rain is the horse they all have to catch.
It’s a case of ‘the wetter the better’ for Queenslander SIr Moments in the Villiers Stakes (Sydney Race 6, 1600m). Trainer Steve O’Dea has been praying for rain all week and his mudlark ‘Sir Moments’ will have conditions to suit on Saturday. Sir Moments is unbeaten in all his 3 starts in the wet. The Queensland Guineas winner won over 1600m just before his spell so the mile certainly wouldn’t worry him. He came from a long way back last start in the Festival Stakes (1500m) to only be beaten by 1.7 lengths on a good track. From a wide gate on Saturday, Tim Bell will once again take the 4YO back in the field but watch him run over the top of this field in the straight.
By Owens Wong, Editor
