From James Cummings
Horse: Cascadian
Message: (Saturday, Randwick Race 7, Canterbury Stakes) It should be just far too short for Cascadian fresh up. But there’s a few things in his favour, his first-up run is at Randwick and not Caulfield where he’s just run out of time with the shorter straight. He might have the tempo against him but regardless of that he’s going to be really chasing hard to the line, looking for further later on in his prep and giving every indication he’s coming up well again.
Horse: Golden Mile
Message: (Saturday, Randwick Race 7, Canterbury Stakes) I think he’d gotten away on me a little bit. I backed off him having not run him in the Hobartville and he’s a bull that had done particularly well between runs. He only had the one run fresh up, he was always going to improve with that run and if he can just get back on track with a nice run from a decent draw (gate 2) it could set up the remainder of his campaign.
Horse: Aft Cabin
Message: (Saturday, Randwick Race 8, Randwick Guineas) After a dominant first-up win in the Eskimo Prince Stakes a month ago, Aft Cabin was expected to add the Hobartville to his record but could only manage 5th after a tough run on the speed. I can promise you that you’ll go broke listening to the experts from the front of the public bar. Yes he had a hard run last time and we were disappointed seeing him finishing out of the placings. When you get to this top level at set weights against three-year-olds things have got to go right for you more than they go wrong. We’ve got to be very bullish about the way the horse is going. We are seeing the progress of a really talented horse. I see the barrier (10) is similarly awkward in the Randwick Guineas as it was in the Hobartville but that’s all right. We have to deal with that and the horse has some early pace to blend into the race and put himself there. If there’s an opportunity to slot in James might think on his feet and slot in and be pleased with that. Either way you’d expect it to be a genuinely run mile race and it’s going to give Aft Cabin the opportunity to go to the level on his own terms.
From Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott
Horse: Red Resistance
Message: (Saturday, Randwick Race 2, Todman Stakes) Red Resistance is unbeaten in two starts, but despite the size of the field it’s up to his youngster to prove himself Slipper material. It’s a really important race for him on Saturday. It’s a great indicator of your chances in the Slipper and a race with a bit of depth. He’s doing everything right. He’s got the class and the speed, he’s got a lot of those great two-year-old attributes that sees him be very effective. He’s there to run a big race and we want to see him win again and put himself right in contention. Since his last win, Red Resistance turned plenty of heads when he ran 45.36 to win a 798m trial out at Warwick Farm with a 31.94 last 600m. He had a nice hit out at the trials the other day. We didn’t go out necessarily wanting to break the clock, I was quite stunned at the time. It was only 800m and we wanted a nice sharp hit out, to capitalise on the trial because he was a month between runs and stepping up to 1200m.
Horse: Converge
Message: (Saturday, Randwick Race 7, Canterbury Stakes) The four-year-old wasn’t competitive in four runs last campaign but the signs are there he’s ready to turn things around, especially with a good track underneath him. We made a few excuses for him last campaign. Ultimately he may not have come up last spring. He had a busy time of it as a three-year-old 12 months ago and maybe that caught up with him. Converge has trialled twice and the second of those hitouts, a close 4th behind Shades Of Rose on February 20, suggested the gelding is in good shape. We’re very happy with him and hopefully we can see a good return.
From Anthony & Sam Freedman
Horse: Artorius
Message: (Saturday, Randwick Race 7, Canterbury Stakes) Artorius has not been victorious since claiming the 2021 Blue Diamond Stakes, however he has been twice Group 1 placed as a spring three-year-old in Melbourne and again during a European sojourn last year when 3rd in the Platinum Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot and the July Cup at Newmarket. The entire returns to Australian racing for the first time since then in Saturday’s Group 1 Canterbury Stakes. It will be a hot Canterbury Stakes but we’re a live chance and we’ve got Zac Purton coming down to ride him.
From Gerald Ryan & Sterling Alexiou
Horse: Williamsburg
Message: (Saturday, Randwick Race 8, Randwick Guineas) The son of Snitzel excels when the track is rain-affected with all four of his wins having come on wet tracks. If he gets a bit of cut in the ground it brings him right into the race. He runs OK on firmish tracks but he just seems to excel, or the others come back to him, on soft tracks. He doesn’t have to turn much of a margin around on the Hobartville run the other day. I don’t think he can be going any better.
From The Editor
Sydney Race 4 – Soulcombe
Sydney Race 5 – Economics
