Alizee is already Group placed but she’ll be chasing silver of a different kind on Saturday at Royal Randwick when she lines up as favourite in the $200,000 Group Two Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m).
The hulking daughter of Sepoy broke her maiden at Canterbury accounting for subsequent midweek winner Songlike and that run under her belt gives her an advantage coming into her second up assignment according to James Cummings.
“She’s the only filly in the field with match fitness and she gets a wonderful opportunity on top of the ground here. It was a classy win first up. She could hardly have been more impressive,” Cummings said.
Meanwhile, Godolphin have Derby plans for Teofilo colt Sanctioned and although the 1300m of the $150,000 Group Three Up And Coming Stakes looks short of his best trip, his two trial wins have suggested he has plenty of speed in his legs.
“This might be a little sharp for him but he’s a very interesting horse. He has no weight on his back under the conditions of Saturday’s race but I also expect him to be competitive in the better set weights races later on,” Cummings said.
“He’s been very good in the two trials and he’s a colt with the strength and constitution to handle a good spring preparation.”
Sanctioned will be joined in the race by Toga Picta, out of popular Darley mare Purple, who throughout his two-year-old campaign gave the impression he still had plenty to learn.
“He showed a lot of promise with a barnstorming finish in the Fernhill Handicap in his final run as a two-year-old and he’s trialled well this time in. There are bigger fish to fry for him later in the spring,” said Cummings.
Meanwhile, with Hartnell heading to Melbourne to dodge Winx and last year’s Epsom Handicap winner Hauraki set to miss the spring, the blue army will be hoping French import Spectroscope can prove himself a genuine Group One performer.
Spectroscope, who won the Group Three Doncaster Prelude over the autumn, has two trials under his belt and will kick off his preparation in the $150,000 Group Three Show County Quality (1200m).
“He has natural speed and he’s trialled very nicely. He’s fit enough to run a big race,” Cummings said of the Epsom-bound five-year-old.
Allergic, who lines up against Winx in the $250,000 Group Two Warwick Stakes (1400m), rounds out Godolphin’s Randwick runners.
“He was very solid and consistent last preparation and had a confidence-boosting win before his spell. At this stage we’re looking at races like the Metropolitan which he was placed in last year,” Cummings said.
“This is a quality race and short of his best distance.”
– Racing NSW
