The Missile Stakes day will be held at Royal Randwick on Saturday. The course proper was rated a Soft 5 on Thursday and with showers forecast in Sydney leading up to the weekend, Randwick is likely to be racing on a Soft track on raceday.
The Team Hawkes-trained Wild Heart will have conditions to suit in the opening event at Randwick (Sydney Race 1, 1200m). The 3YO gelding can handle the wet condition, with a win over this distance on a Heavy 9 track two starts back. He collided with another runner at the start at Warwick Farm last start and Tommy Berry had to race with cover for as long as possible before he made his final dash. Putting blinkers on Wild Dash on Saturday will make him raced more tractable. Drawn beautifully in barrier 2, Berry will settle along the fence just behind the leaders and Wild Heart will be full of running in the straight. Wild Heart is at terrific value at $10.00 in the current fixed odds market.
Matthew Dunn looks set to claim another Highway Handicap and this time with the gelding Care To Think (Sydney Race 4, 1400m). The 4YO is a last start winner over 1350m at Doomben a fortnight ago and he has been very consistent having only missed a place once in his last 5 starts. While he has never won on Soft tracks from 4 starts, he did have 3 placings in the condition. Tye Angland will drop back in the field from barrier 14 and with reasonable pace up front, Angland will use Care To Think’s turn-of-foot to finish over the top of this field.
Being a Group 1 winner, Le Romain is the class horse in the Missile Stakes field (Sydney Race 7, 1200m). Le Romain has really come of age last preparation winning the Group 1 Canterbury Stakes and finished off the campaign with a close 2nd in the All Aged Stakes. Kris Lees has given the 5YO two trials to get him ready for his 1st up assignment. Le Romain has good fresh form having never missed a place from four 1st up attempts and he can handle any track conditions. Le Romain has the class, a good record over the trip at Randwick and versatile enough to be able to settle anywhere in transit, and he certainly looks the one they all have to beat.
By Owens Wong, Editor
