The All Aged Stakes meeting will be held at Royal Randwick this Saturday (20th Apr). The course proper was rated a Good 4 on Thursday and with showers forecast for Sydney over the next couple of days, Randwick will be racing on a Soft track on raceday.
The Waller-trained Saltcoats maps well in the Frank Packer Plate (Sydney Race 4, 2000m). The gelding has been going well this preparation when he resumed with a close 2nd over 1350m at Rosehill before finishing mid-field in the Phar Lap Stakes. Stepping up to 2000m last start in the Tulloch Stakes, he was closing well and was beaten only one length by Wymark in third place. The in-form Zac Lloyd will go forward and sit one off one back in a stalking position and Saltcoats will be too strong in the run home.
High class colt Linebacker is ready to step up to the mile in the Champagne Stakes (Sydney Race 7, 1600m). John O’Shea has been very patient with the 2YO as he has been avoiding the Golden Slipper and the Sires’. On Debut, he was a four-length maiden winner at Hawkesbury in February. And Linebacker was brilliant last start taking out the Baillieu Stakes in only his second career start. He will strip even fitter and the three week break between runs suits perfectly. Tommy Berry retains the ride and he is going straight to the front and sit outside likely leader Anode and Linebacker is the one they all have to catch.
Good mare Sunshine In Paris can take out the All Aged Stakes on Saturday (Sydney Race 8, 1400m). This Annabel Neasham-trained 4YO has been ultra consistent and she has only missed a place once in eight career starts and that came in last start in the Group1 TJ Smith Stakes where she was only beaten 0.7 lengths by Chain Of Lightning. She likes Randwick and she is ready to step up to 1400m after two tough conditioning runs. Ryan Maloney will settle mid-field from a lovely gate (2) and Sunshine In Paris will be flashing home in the All Aged Stakes.
By Owens Wong
