From Scott Collings
Horse: Mogo Magic
Message: (Saturday, Randwick Race 2, TAB Hcp) Mogo Magic has won open trials at Goulburn by seven lengths and Kembla by four since he was scratched with a slight set-back from a Highway at headquarters a month ago when favourite. Early days he might not have beaten much but when they win by those margins and run time you’ve got a nice horse. We’d set him for that previous Highway confident he was up to better grade but leading up to it he went off his feed. It’s unlike him. He wasn’t happy, neither was I, so I advised connections it just wasn’t worth the risk. When we scratched we knew this race was coming up and planned for it. It was a month between races so we trialled twice to keep him up to the mark and he went super. There’s always a hot tempo and pressure in Highways. We’ll leave that to Tim (Clark) if the race pans out we can lead, but either way we’ll be comfortable.
From Kerry Parker
Horse: Hope In Your Heart
Message: (Saturday, Randwick Race 5, Guy Walter Proven Thoroughbreds Stakes) She had a really good preparation (last spring), she ran some gallant races in some tough contests. She stepped up from mares grade and held her own running 4th in the (Golden) Eagle and 2nd in the Gong. She spelled really well and has come back stronger and fingers crossed we can turn that into a bit more strength on race day. The mare has trialled twice in the lead up to the Guy Walter. She’s given every sign she’s back and well. You need that box ticked when you go back to the races to let you know you’ve improved that grade, which she’ll need to. It’s always good to know the good ones are back and if they’re back in good form it’s excellent.
From Gary Portelli
Horse: Extreme Spirit
Message: (Saturday, Randwick Race 3, Skyline Stakes) We rode him close on the Kensington track and I thought he was okay. He started to stretch out late but he didn’t let down at the top of the straight like a professional two-year-old would. If you watch his action when he straightens up his feet are about a foot off the ground when he’s at full length so he’s climbing. As he gets close to the line his feet get to about six inches off the ground and that’s when he starts to power away so he’s still learning how to use his action properly. Ridden a bit quieter I think we will see this horse finish off like I know he can.
Horse: Fireburn
Message: (Saturday, Randwick Race 7, Surround Stakes) If we drew a good gate we were going to use it because she can be a bit closer over seven furlongs. She’d only have to run 34 seconds home instead of 33 again. All of a sudden we don’t know where we are going to get to in the run (after drawing gate 13). We’re just hoping the track plays so that swoopers can come into the race because I don’t think kicking up over 1400m and trying to get in is going to be any good to us. I think once we get the autumn rain that’s when she’ll come into her own. On the dry tracks she’s competitive but she’s not dominant.
From Joseph Pride
Horse: Cinderella Days
Message: (Saturday, Randwick Race 7, Surround Stakes) Having cut her teeth in provincial and midweek grade last preparation, Cinderella Days was vaulted into Group company first-up, finishing 3rd to In Secret in the Light Fingers Stakes. It is an unusual leap up for one of my horses, but I felt she’d had enough racing and was seasoned enough during the spring to come in during the autumn and make her presence felt. She gave us a great sight. It’s not easy, here we are now finding ourselves in a Group One and the market is telling us we’re not among the main chances again. But I think she is a filly who is really building her confidence with every run she has. I wouldn’t underestimate her going into Saturday. The best of her is yet to come but she is physically well developed and she will run a mighty race.
Horse: Think About It
Message: (Saturday, Randwick Race 9, Liverpool City Cup) He’s gone benchmark 72, 78, 88 and now a Group Three. They are massive leaps each time and he never looks well placed because he is never genuinely on the limit, but punters recognise he is a horse on an upward trajectory. You just don’t know where these horses will stop, there’s no ceiling for him at the moment so he is exciting. I loved his last win, it was so strong. I was tossing up whether to take him to Newcastle (for next week’s Newcastle Stakes) but the way the race looks on paper to me, I think he will be there on Saturday.
From Richard Litt
Horse: Tavs
Message: (Saturday, Randwick Race 3, Skyline Stakes) If you’d have told me he’d be running in a Skyline six or eight weeks ago I would have laughed. He has just come a little bit from left field, which is wonderful. Robbie (Dolan) trialled him twice and told me, ‘he’s got loads of ability’. He’s potentially quite nice. So I took his word for it because he didn’t show a lot at trackwork. I thought it was the right sort of race for him (in Canberra) but he’d drawn a bit poorly that day too and got right back, he missed the break a little bit. It was a very good effort to overcome all that and he has trained on well enough since. Tavs again has a wide draw in barrier 11 and will face much stiffer opposition, but if the youngster can be competitive, he could continue on the path towards the Group 1 Sires’ Produce and Champagne Stakes.
From Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott
Horse: Ganbare
Message: (Saturday, Randwick Race 3, Skyline Stakes) Ganbare followed a win at Canberra with a slashing effort in the Millennium when he came from last to finish 7th.I’d love to get him to those types of races (Sires’ Produce and Champagne Stakes). I think once we see him under those conditions that’s where he’s going to really excel. Even as he matures, he’s going to be a better three-year-old in time.
Horse: Summer Loving
Message: (Saturday, Randwick Race 6, Sweet Embrace Stakes) It was the third time the two-year-old had filled a minor placing in as many starts, and hopefully getting her onto her home track for the first time could be a significant turning point. She seems in really good order and I think the big track at home on Saturday will really suit her. Hopefully as she matures and gets that little more seasoned she can be tactically a little bit better in the early part of her races. She’s going around in the Sweet Embrace on Saturday and that certainly looks to be a strong line-up there so that will give us a good gauge. We want to see her performing well and using that as the main lead-up to the Slipper. She will need to be running top-three in that race to be pushing on that way.
From The Editor
Sydney Race 5 – Hope In Your Heart
Sydney Race 7 – Zougotcha
Sydney Race 8 – Fangirl
