The Australian Turf Club has received 86 strong acceptors for the eight Black Type races this Saturday, 16 March at Warwick Farm for Hyland Race Colours Royal Randwick Guineas Day.
The traditional Royal Randwick meeting will take place at the Club’s Western Sydney venue while racing Headquarters continues with its $150m redevelopment.
Four Group 1 winning horses will face the starter in the highlight of the day, the Group 1 $500,000 Hyland Race Colours Royal Randwick Guineas where the winner will be exempt from ballot in the David Jones Australian Derby on 13 April and the BMW Doncaster Mile on 20 April at Royal Randwick.
Hong Kong-based jockey Brett Prebble will partner with Jim Conlan-trained Ferlax who will make the trip north from Melbourne to contest the day’s feature. The three-year-old will be looking to maintain his unblemished record and has opened at $13.00 with TAB Fixed Odds.
Rebel Dane (Jason Collett) from the Gary Portelli stable is the current equal favourite for the Guineas at $3.00 after his strong second place in the Group 2 Hobartville Stakes at Rosehill Gardens. Gai Waterhouse-trained Proisir (Hugh Bowman) also sits on the first line of the betting. Chris Waller’s New Zealand import Sacred Falls (Corey Brown) and Chandon Spring Champion Stakes winner It’s A Dundeel (James McDonald) will also take their place in the field of 13.
All eyes will be on the return of multiple Group 1 winning superstar Hay List (Glyn Schofield) who will line up in the Group 2 $175,000 Challenge Stakes. The seven-year-old has opened as the outright $2.00 favourite in the race despite this race being the first time the mighty gelding has raced since succumbing to a life-threatening injury last March.
Hay List’s competition will come from Gerald Ryan-trained Mrs Onassis (Kerrin McEvoy) who will also be looking for back-to-back wins after claiming the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate on 23 February. 2012 The Galaxy winner Temple of Boom (Brett Prebble) and Atomic Force (Tommy Berry), who has displayed good form in recent barrier trials, will also pose as a strong threat.
The lead up to the Group 1 $3.5m Tooheys New Golden Slipper will continue this weekend when some of the country’s best juveniles take to the track in the Group 3 $125,000 Les Johnson Memorial Sweet Embrace Stakes and Group 3 $125,000 Hylands Skyline Stakes where the winner of each will be exempt from ballot into the heralded feature race on the first Saturday in April.
The first race gets underway at 12.50pm and gates open to the public at 11.30am. The rail will be +2m Entire Circuit and the track is currently sitting at a Good 3 rating.
Source : Australian Turf Club
