Canterbury Stakes Field And Barrier Draw Released

The 2014 Canterbury Stakes final field and barrier draw has been released; with ten exciting runners set to contest the Group 1 event at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

Appearance will be chasing her third straight win when she contests the Canterbury Stakes at Royal Randwick this weekend.

Appearance will be chasing her third straight win when she contests the Canterbury Stakes at Royal Randwick this weekend. Photo by: Steve Hart

Talented colt Zoustar will be returning to racing in the Canterbury Stakes and is set to start a clear favourite after drawing ideally in barrier three.

Zoustar has not been seen at the races since he scored an impressive win in the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on Victoria Derby Day last year, but trainer Chris Waller believes that the son of Northern Meteor is fairly forward for the start of his autumn preparation.

While Zoustar benefitted from the 2014 Canterbury Stakes barrier draw, in-form mare Appearance did not have as much luck and will jump from the outside of the ten horse field this weekend.

Appearance failed to fire in two starts during the 2013 Spring Racing Carnival, but has returned to her best form this preparation; upsetting Chipping Norton Stakes winner Boban to take out the Group 2 Expressway Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on February 8 and the Group 2 Apollo Stakes (1400m) at the same venue on February 22.

Joining Appearance in the 2014 Canterbury Stakes field will be stablemates Toydini (barrier nine) and Streama (barrier eight); who will join Appearance in the outside barrier at Royal Randwick this weekend.

Trainer Guy Walter is hopeful that both Streama and Toydini can improve on their first-up efforts after they missed the placings in the Group 2 Breeders Classic (1200m) at Rosehill Gardens on February 15 and the Group 3 Southern Cross Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on February 22 respectively.

Walter may not have had much luck in the Canterbury Stakes barrier draw, but Chris Waller can have no such complaint; with the resuming My Kingdom Of Fife and Sacred Falls during towards the inside of the field.

My Kingdom Of Fife (barrier five) is returning to the races for the first time since he scored an impressive win in the Group 3 Craven Plate (2000m) at Royal Randwick on October 1 and will be racing over 1300 metres for the first time in his career, while Sacred Falls (barrier two) is returning to the races for the first time since he finished fifth behind Boban in the Group 1 Emirates Stakes (1600m) on November 9 last year.

Rounding out the Waller team in the Canterbury Stakes is classy mare Red Tracer who will jump from barrier seven with regular jockey Nash Rawiller on board.

Not Listenin’tome (barrier six) finished second behind Zoustar in the Coolmore Stud Stakes, but the exciting colt will have the opportunity to turn-the-tables on the two-time Group 1 winner in the Canterbury Stakes this winner.

The Dylan Thomas gelding, who is owned by leading Hong Kong trainer John Moore, returned to racing with a dominant four lengths victory over Consorting and Thermal Current in the Group 3 Zeditave Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on February 22 and is considered one of the leading chances for the Group 1 T.J. Smith Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on April 12.

Emirates Stakes placegetter Speediness (barrier four) and veteran gelding Rain Affair (barrier one) have also been included in the star-studded 2014 Canterbury Stakes field.

About The Author

Thomas Hackett

Thomas is a passionate and opinionated racing journalist and punter who has been obsessed with horse racing since he backed Saintly to win the 1996 Melbourne Cup. An international racing enthusiast, he has his finger on the pulse of racing news not just from Australia but all around the world.