The Kris Lees trained Sense Of Occasion has firmed in the betting to be the second pick behind champion mare Winx in the Group 2 $250,000 Tattersalls Club Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on Saturday.

Sense Of Occasion, above, will be up against Winx in the Chelmsford Stakes at Randwick. Photo by Steve Hart.

Sense Of Occasion, above, will be up against Winx in the Chelmsford Stakes at Randwick. Photo by Steve Hart.

Winx is lining up for her nineteenth win in a row and as usual commands the betting at $1.09 at Ladbrokes.com.au on Friday morning but Sense Of Occasion is now the second pick in the market order after firming in from $26 to $19.

Sense Of Occasion is the winner of one Group 1 race, the $650,000 Doomben Cup (2000m) at Doomben during the 2017 Brisbane Winter Carnival, and has a long way to go to catch up to Winx who has saluted twelve times at Group 1 level, including consecutive wins the Group 1 $3m Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m) at The Valley in 2015 and 2016.

Jockey Corey Brown rides Sense Of Occasion in the Chelmsford Stakes and knows that it will be virtually impossible to beat the Chris Waller trained Winx, but he thinks the Street Sense seven year old could be the horse to catapult him into Spring Carnival success.

“I’m not suggesting he could beat her but he will run a really good race. I thought his trial the other day was very good,” Brown told The Sydney Morning Herald.

“He is one of those horses that helped me get back here and I want to see what he can do on Saturday.”

Brown returned from a three and half years overseas riding stint in France and Singapore in January and slotted straight back into the grove with four Group 1 wins for the season, adding Polarisation (Sydney Cup), Impending (Stradbroke Handicap) and Terravista (Black Caviar Lightning) to Sense Of Occasion’s Doomben Cup win.

Brown has a solid book of eight rides on the nine event Chelmsford Stakes program and while a win over Winx looks highly unlike, the international jockey has a strong chance of winning the Group 3 $150,000 Concorde Stakes (1000m) on the Bryce Heys trained Spieth.

Spieth remains the favourite at $2.60 for the Concorde Stakes just ahead of the front running Redzel at $3.50.

About The Author

Mark Mazzaglia

Mark is a passionate journalist with a life-time involvement in the racing industry. He spent many years as an analyst and form expert at the Courier Mail and also has hands-on experience working with some of Queensland’s top trainers.