The All Aged Stakes meeting will be held at Royal Randwick this Saturday. The course proper was rated a Heavy 9 on Thursday and with mainly fine weather in Sydney leading up to the weekend, Randwick will be racing on a Soft track on raceday.
The Frank Packer Plate is a good horse race with previous winners including The Chosen One, Clangalang, Dodge, Juggler and Might And Power, and the very promising Straight Arron looks set to join the winners’ list (Sydney Race 3, 2000m). The 3YO gelding came from last and ran away from his rivals last start in the Carbine Club Stakes where he clocked the fastest last 200m split of the meeting. He can handle any track conditions and stepping up to 2000m should pose no problems. James McDonald will drop back in the field from the wide gate but with his class and turn-of-foot, Straight Arron will be too good for these lots.
Big Parade drops back in class on Saturday in the Hall Mark Stakes and he also maps very well in the Group 3 race (Sydney Race 6, 1200m). Big Parade hasn’t raced since Golden Slipper Day when he was defeated narrowly by the cult hero Shelby Sixtysix in the Galaxy where he carried 5kg more than the winner. The Mark Newnham-trained 5YO likes to have a gap between runs because it keeps him nice and fresh and the four weeks between runs is perfect. Big Parade has a great Soft track record and he loves the 1200m course at Randwick with three wins and a 3rd from five attempts. There is no pace in the race and Joshua Parr could go straight to the lead from barrier 4 to dictate terms and Big Parade could prove hard to catch.
Mo’unga is a good fresh horse and he could take out the All Aged Stakes when 2nd up on Saturday (Sydney Race 8, 1400m). In the spring, this Annabel Neasham-trained 4YO had been very competitive against the likes of Incentivise, Anamoe and Zaaki and he has returned in good order with a slashing 2nd to Sierra Sue in the Futurity Stakes. Mo’unga can handle any track conditions and the seven furlong is his pet distance with three wins and two placings at the trip. The drying track also suits. With Ellsberg, Olmedo, Forbidden Love and In The Congo all going forward, they are going to set the race up for Mo’unga to fly down the Randwick straight.
By Owens Wong, Editor
