The $400,000 Group 1 All Aged Stakes is one of Sydney’s oldest races, but it is a relative newcomer in its current format.
First run in 1866 over eight furlongs, which became 1600 metres with the switch to metrics, it was reduced to 1400m in 2004.
Since then it has developed a strong alignment with another race that underwent some change around a decade ago, the $2.5 million Group 1 T.J. Smith Stakes (1200m), which is now Australia’s richest sprint race.
The T.J. Smith Stakes, this year won by Chautauqua, has produced more winners of the All Aged Stakes than any other race in the past decade.
Shamekha and Bentley Biscuit won both races in 2005 and 2007 respectively, while Hot Danish(2009) and Hay List (2010) both won the All Aged after finishing second in the T.J Smith.
Chautauqua, Terravista (third), Fontelina (fourth) and Famous Seamus (seventh) will be out to join them when they contest Sydney’s final Group 1 race of the season this Saturday at Randwick.
The thing Chautauqua has over his T.J. Smith Stakes rivals is that he filled a quinella slot in that event on 6 April.
Not only have the four horses who won the All Aged off a run in the T.J. come off a top-two finish, so have all but one of the winners of the All Aged Stakes since it’s been run at 1400m.
The exception was last year’s winner Hana’s Goal, who won off a sixth placing in the Doncaster Mile (1600m).
William Reid Stakes winner Lucky Hussler, Newcastle Newmarket champion Laser Hawk, Star Kingdom Quality winner Generalife and Australian Guineas hero Wandjina are the other All Aged runners who finished in the first two at their most recent outing.
The other trend Hana’s Goal bucked when she won at $10 was the run of winners at single-figure odds. The previous 10 winners started at single-figure odds, including seven favourites.
Chautauqua went up the $2.80 favourite when TAB opened its market at lunchtime Wednesday.
About the only historical knock on the Hawkes Racing grey is the battle four-year-old males have had winning a 1400m version of the All Aged Stakes. Two four-year-olds have won the race in that format, but both were mares – Private Steer (2004) and Shamekha.
Five is the most successful age group in that time with four wins, while three-year-olds have won three times.
Shooting To Win, Wandjina and Scissor Kick are the three-year-olds engaged this year.
All Too Hard won the All Aged two years ago, but Drawn (1986) is the only other Caulfield Guineas winner to win the All Aged Stakes in the same season since Tulloch in 1958, while Flying Spur (1996) is the only horse to complete the Australian Guineas/All Aged Stakes double Wandjina is shooting for.
Those who let lucky numbers influence their punting will probably feel compelled to have something on Laser Hawk; No.7 who will jump from barrier seven.
Not only have four of the past six winners carried that saddlecloth number to victory, but half of the past 10 winners started from barrier seven.
Verdict: As a five-year-old who won his most recent outing and is at single-figures odds (at least he was when TAB opened its market), Lucky Hussler gets the nod over Wandjina and Chautauqua.
– racing.com
