From Michael Freedman
Horse: Manaal
Message: (Saturday, Randwick Race 6, Inglis Sires’) Manaal jumped from the outside and went back to last (in the Golden Slipper) before clocking the fastest last 600m of the Slipper in 33.44 seconds. She’s come through really well. I went home wondering what might have been if we’d drawn a gate, but that’s part of the game. I think we’ve got to wait and see what we get on Saturday, until we see what kind of surface we’re racing on and how it’s racing that’ll determine tactics to a large degree. You never know until you try but she gives every indication that she’ll relish going up to that trip (1400m).
Horse: Wymark
Message: (Saturday, Randwick Race 9, ATC Derby) It’s unfortunate we have to (pay the late entry) but I’ve stuck my hand up and taken responsibility for it. It’s great to have him in the race with some sort of chance. He’s had a little bit of form on soft tracks which is good and he seems to have bounced out of Saturday well. He’s had quite a bit of racing, I don’t think we will be blaming fitness if things don’t work out. It’s interesting the Tulloch (Stakes) has such a good record in terms of results in the Derby.
From Joseph Pride
Horse: Mazu
Message: (Saturday, Randwick Race 7, T.J. Smith Stakes) Mazu finished 5th in the Challenge Stakes at his only appearance for the stable. He was going to be looking for a wet track this preparation and he’s going to get one. He will run terrific. He ran 3rd in this race last year, he’s a great horse in the wet and he’s going well.
Horse: Coal Crusher
Message: (Saturday, Randwick Race 7, T.J. Smith Stakes) Coal Crusher has a record with four wins from seven runs on heavy ground and I am only backing the horse up due to the weather forecast. It’s a bit of a gamble. I wouldn’t be here on a good surface, but on a heavy track and because of where he finished in the Canterbury Stakes and the Winners’ Stakes, he is only a length or two off these kind of horses. A heavy track might be what he needs to be competitive.
Horse: Think About It
Message: (Saturday, Randwick Race 8, Doncaster Mile) Think About It proved he could stretch his brilliance to at least 1400m with his win in last year’s Stradbroke Handicap. Beaten first-up in the Canterbury Stakes after making a mid-race move, Think About It endured a tough run on-speed from an outside draw when 5th in the George Ryder Stakes. I don’t know any more than anyone else. At the end of the day, nobody has seen him run over a mile. Everyone has got an opinion, that’s what these good horses seem to do is attract opinions. This horse would run through a brick wall. He’s in terrific order. The runs (earlier in the preparation) he’s had has made it impossible to win, so I haven’t been disappointed in him and he hasn’t been beaten far in either run. It has always been a preparation that was going to culminate here, so we’re on track.
Horse: Ceolwulf
Message: (Saturday, Randwick Race 9, ATC Derby) Ceolwulf is untried on ground worse than soft, but he is by Tavistock, whose progeny generally handle wet tracks. I like the way he has shaped up this preparation with improvement coming with each run and more importantly, the improvement as the races have got further. He has never been over 2400 metres, but geez, you’d think it would suit him. The Tavistocks have won a few ATC Derbies. As three-year-olds, that’s their trip. We have seen some champions win the race, hopefully my horse can join them.
From Todd Howlett
Horse: Noisy Boy
Message: (Saturday, Randwick Race 9, ATC Derby) Big day my first Derby runner, but confident he’ll stay the 2400m, that’s something in our favour against all the quality, he got home as strong as anything in the Tulloch (beaten less than a length by Wymark).
From Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott
Horse: Storm Boy
Message: (Saturday, Randwick Race 6, Inglis Sires’) We always felt he had the potential to be able to train on. If we felt he went backwards off the Slipper we could have made that call but the intention was always to continue through the Triple Crown and I don’t see why we shouldn’t continue on that path with him. He was still excellent in the Slipper and has come out of it the right way, shown us everything we wanted to see in the last two weeks. I think it sets up as better conditions for him, the 1400m will suit and I don’t mind the draw (gate 8) for him. James McDonald is back on board this weekend.
Horse: Anode
Message: (Saturday, Randwick Race 6, Inglis Sires’) Anode is set to back up after his gallant 2nd in the Baillieu last weekend, just touched off by Linebacker, with the thought that the quick turnaround and experience at the trip will stand him in good stead for a testing track. He came through that race so well it always left it open as a potential path for him. They ran good time over the 1400m so if it is a testing track maybe things falls his way a little in the sense he’s had a nice strong lead up.
Horse: Ganbare
Message: (Saturday, Randwick Race 9, ATC Derby) He’s a class horse and bringing through the right form. He was excellent in the Rosehill Guineas and I think he is only going to appreciate getting out to the Derby trip, drawn well, he’s ready to run a peak for us.
Horse: Adagio
Message: (Saturday, Randwick Race 9, ATC Derby) He has the benefit of wet track experience and he’s had a good grounding at the provincial and country circuit. He’s had a few good runs over 2000m so while he’s not bringing the class of some of the others he’s got the conditioning for it.
From Chris Waller
Horse: Militarize
Message: (Saturday, Randwick Race 8, Doncaster Mile) (He’s got a) bit of weight (54kg) to carry, he’s giving away five kilos to Celestial Legend, but he only knows how to run well. Militarize not only has the two Group 1 Guineas winners, Celestial Legend and Southport Tycoon, on the 49kg limit, he has two other rivals on 50kg, another on 50.5kg – including favourite Another Wil– and four on 51kg, meaning he’s conceding at least 3kg to nine rivals. He doesn’t know how to run bad, so we know he’s going to be consistent, we know he’ll try his best, he just needs a bit of luck with that big weight.
From Annabel Neasham
Horse: Sunshine In Paris
Message: (Saturday, Randwick Race 7, TJ Smith Stakes) After missing the bulk of the spring through injury she showed she’s back in business with a slashing 2nd in the Group 1 Galaxy last month. I thought her first-up run was very good and she made ground on the worst part of the track. She’s going here in good order and will be improved up to 1200m. A heavy (track) would be an unknown, she’s had two soft track runs and I’m told (her sire) Invader was a very good wet tracker so all you can do is try. If she handles it, I think she’s going to be hard to beat. She’s going there on the up and has it all ahead of her.
Horse: Lady Laguna
Message: (Saturday, Randwick Race 8, Doncaster Mile) It’s been a dream run with Lady Laguna and I can only hope it continues in Saturday’s Group 1 Doncaster Mile at Royal Randwick. What you see as a three-year-old isn’t always the finished article. She showed enough to race on at four, this time last year when she was placing in the Arrowfield and PJ Bell we never thought she’d go on and be a weight-for-age Group 1 winner. She’s reached new heights. The nice thing with her is I’ll go to bed on Friday night not worrying whether it’s a heavy 10 or a good 3. She’s drawn in the middle which on a rain affected track is going to be perfect. Always with her you just ride her where she’s happy. She’s best ridden with a bit of a sit, we’ve often seen her as a younger horse up on the pace, and she’s got good gate speed, but it should enable us to give her a nice smothered run.
From James Cummings
Horse: Tom Kitten
Message: (Saturday, Randwick Race 9, ATC Derby) He was beaten less than a length by Celestial Legend in the Randwick Guineas and while he didn’t run to expectations when 6th in the Rosehill Guineas, he was racing like a horse looking for further. The other day on face value I was a little bit disappointed, but I really think he’s looking for a mile-and-a-half now. He looked a little bit dour the other day and to be fair, he was probably on the worst part of the track as well. But he’s a classy colt. He won the Spring Champion here as a three-year-old in the spring and he’s seasoned up nicely since then.
From The Editor
Sydney Race 7 – Sunshine In Paris
Sydney Race 8 – Obamburumai
Sydney Race 9 – Riff Rocket
