The Boxing Day meeting will be held at Royal Randwick this Saturday (26th Dec). The course proper was rated a Soft 5 on Thursday and with mainly fine weather in Sydney leading up to the weekend, Randwick will border on Good/Soft condition on raceday.
Bryce Heys-trained Trust The Process can take out the Schweppes Handicap at good odds (Sydney Race 3, 1600m). This 4YO gelding has returned well this campaign finishing 4th over 1300m first-up and then was beaten only half a length last start over 1400m at Kensington. Trust The Process is working his way up to the mile, a distance he has won 3 times with a 2nd from 4 attempts. The in-form apprentice Tom Sherry will be on board and with his 2kg claim, Trust The Process will only be carrying 54.5kg. Beautifully drawn in gate 4, Sherry is going to settle mid-field and Trust The Process is going to finish off strongly.
Frosty Rocks maps very well in the Drinkwise Mile (Sydney Race 5, 1600m). This Bjorn Baker-trained gelding won brilliantly first-up at Rosehill over 1300m before he failed to run on at Eagle Farm on 12th December. Frosty Rocks can handle any track conditions and he has a pretty good record over the mile. Having drawn the rail, Tom Sherry will go straight to the lead and in a race without much pace, Frosty Rocks can control the pace up front and be hard to catch.
Spirit Ridge is the light weight chance in the Summer Cup (Sydney Race 6, 2000m). This English import from the Mark Newnham stable had finished back-to-back seconds over 1600m in his past two starts. And stepping up to 2000m will suit. The lightly raced 6YO can handle the Soft track and he has only be allotted the limit weight of 53kg and that could well be a winning weight. Robbie Dolan is likely to go forward and sit just behind the leaders and Spirit Ridge can out-sprinted them in the straight with his light weight.
By Owens Wong, Editor
