The Doncaster mile is one of Australia’s most famous races, dating all the way back to 1866. Often referred to as racings fifth major, it is always a competitive race being a true handicap contest. The sun is now shining at Randwick and we are hoping it can hang around dry after the deluge of rain in Sydney this week.
We’ll start with the favourite in Le Romain. The Kris Lees stable star has been almost faultless this preparation with his out the track only defeat at the hands of Winx. He won first up and then went on to beat Chautauqua in the group one Canterbury stakes at Randwick. In the spring he won the Cantala stakes over a mile with Hugh Bowman in saddle, who will be reunited with the galloper on Saturday. Drawn to get the right run and is ever so consistent. He was the most underrated horse in Australia for a while there and should make his presence felt in the big one on Saturday.
Palentino is looking to secure Darren Weirs first group one in Sydney. Coming off a last start demolition job over his stable mate in Tosen Stardom should hold him in good stead here. The big Randwick track should suit him after all of his best performances are on the bigger Melbourne track of Flemington. A failed Epsom run last spring and the possibility of a heavy track would have to queries though and $9 seems a touch unders.
The more favoured Waller pair in McCreery and Antonio Giuseppe are both quite short in the market considering they are coming off big defeats. Take Winx out the equation, McCeery was beaten a fair way by Le Romain in the George Ryder and on another rain effected track I don’t know how he turns the tables. Obviously results in a big race rely heavily on luck in running, but at the comparison of $6 Le Romain and $8.50 McCreery I think the former is the smarter play. Antonio Giuseppe is a classic example of the Chris Waller Doncaster formula. A hard 2000 metre run back to a Randwick mile. The biggest question mark? Is he at the peak of his powers going into his biggest assignment to date? Won well first up but then beaten quite convincingly at both starts after. He gets the blinkers re applied on Saturday and has great wet track form. Not prepared to write him off.
I Am A Star could not have been any more impressive last start. Jumping from a wide gate she crossed them, lead for every metre of the Moonee Valley mile, and kick away like the G1 horse she is. The really positive thing about that win in the Sunline Stakes was it was against the older mares, and it wasn’t the first time this filly has done that, winning the G1 Myer Classic in the spring. Randwick will be wet on Saturday and her wet track form reads extremely poor compared to her dry track figures. Going into her biggest test in her young career, I find it hard to have her on top considering she’ll have to run a strong mile on rain effected going.
If it weren’t for barrier 22 Spectroscope would be close to top pick. Both his runs in Australia have been nothing short of excellent and a Randwick mile is exactly what this bloke is looking for. He comes into this off winning the prelude last week defying the pattern of the day on the heavy track. He also has a win in Europe at 2000 metres on of a soft track so it’s quite evident he enjoys the cut out of the ground. Being a former European horse though means he would never have had three runs in the space of a month and could resent so much racing in only his first preparation here. It looks as though The Magic Mans only option will be to go back to dead last and although I think he is a serious race horse, his big group one win could be a prep away in the spring.
Happy Clapper could’ve already been a Doncaster winner if it weren’t for the connections of Winx making a last minute decision to run her in last year’s race. He ran a great second that day and the six year old gelding seems to be going as well as ever. ‘The Clapper’ ran an eye catching second first up down in Canberra carrying 60.5kg and then went on to record an ultra-impressive victory in the Newcastle Newmarket second up. He looked very sharp in that outing staying well on the bit until Blake Shinn asked him to lengthen. This is a positive sign as he has had a habit in the past of coming off the bit early in his races and flashing late. From barrier two he can hold a mid-field position in running and if the splits come at the right time he will be very hard to hold out. His form on soft going is great and the current quote of $10 is juicy enough. I would love nothing more than to see Patty Webster take out the feature on his home track.
Finally to the record breaking Redkirk Warrior. No horse had won a Newmarket first up for 100 years until the Hayes Dabernig runner did so earlier this month. At a massive price of $31 that day, he sat just off Star Turn and blew the rest of the field away recording a breath taking victory. Considering the straight 6 furlongs is far less than his ideal trip it was an unbelievable performance that not many expected. The former HK gelding is 3/3 second up and has two wins in Europe over 2000 metres. Barrier 15 gives Regan Bayliss a task of finding a comfortable spot for him though the way he accelerated in the Newmarket tells me he can give some of these a start. By race 9 if the track is a genuine heavy than that would have to be a major question mark though he is well weighted and probably the one that can really improve coming into this race.
Tip – Happy Clapper ($10) hardest to beat from Redkirk Warrior ($8.50)
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