Blue Diamond Stakes winner Catchy and the unbeaten Jukebox headline the nominations for the Group 2 $200,000 Danehill Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on Saturday.
Regan Bayliss will ride Catchy, above, in the Danehill Stakes at Flemington. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Sixteen three year olds have been nominated for the Danehill Stakes with the Lindsay Park trained Catchy to be ridden for the first time by someone other than Craig Williams.
Williams has ridden Catchy in all her six starts, including a win in the Group 1 $1.5m Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield during the 2017 Melbourne Autumn Carnival, but the Fastnent Rock filly will have Regan Bayliss in the saddle for the Danehill Stakes.
Williams will be aboard the Ciaron Maher trained Jukebox in the Danehill Stakes after he committed to ride the Snitzel colt after the pair combined for a win in the Group 3 $150,000 Vain Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield on August 19.
“We switched races and Craig already had taken the ride on Jukebox, so Regan will ride her on Saturday,” senior Lindsay Park trainer David Hayes told AAP.
“She’s pretty good and will be pretty hard to beat.
“I know which one I’d be riding.”
The Lindsay Park Team of David and Ben Hayes and Tom Daberbig have also nominated Plutocracy for the Danehill Stakes.
The Sebring colt has raced four times for a win and two seconds and only went down narrowly when runner up to Jukebox in the Vain Stakes.
Leading Victorian trainer Darren Weir only has one name among the nominations, the Helmet filly Limestone who has had one run back from a spell for a first up fourth in a 1200m three year old fillies Plate at The Valley on August 26.
James Cummings has nominated the unbeaten Esperance who will be stepping up sharply in grade to Group 3 level after scoring an impressive two lengths win in a mid-week three year old BenchMark 64 Handicap at Sandown on August 16.
Matamata co-trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott have nominated their Snitzel colt Summer Passage who scored at Group 1 level as a two year old in the NZ$200,000 Sistema Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie in New Zealand on March 16 before running second to Inavder in the Group 1 $1m Inglis Sires’ (1400m) at Randwick during the 2017 Sydney Autumn Carnival.
Nominations for the 2017 Danehill Stakes (1200m)
| # | Last 10 | Horse | Sex | Age | Trainer | Hcp Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 112×5 | AL PASSEM | C | 3 | Ken Keys | 71 |
| 2 | 11×5 | ANDAZ | G | 3 | Chris Waller | 69 |
| 3 | 14x24x14 | AZAZEL | C | 3 | Tony McEvoy | 79 |
| 4 | 12×2 | BOOKER | F | 3 | Mathew Ellerton & Simon Zahra | 73 |
| 5 | 11110×2 | CATCHY | F | 3 | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | 100 |
| 6 | 2x26x1x2 | ECLAIR SUNSHINE | G | 3 | Phillip Stokes | 65 |
| 7 | 11 | ESPERANCE | G | 3 | James Cummings | 69 |
| 8 | 11×1 | JUKEBOX | C | 3 | Ciaron Maher | 80 |
| 9 | 3112×4 | LIMESTONE | F | 3 | Darren Weir | 78 |
| 10 | 2618 | LONE EAGLE | C | 3 | Mick Price | 69 |
| 11 | 1x | MACTIER | G | 3 | Mick Price | 63 |
| 12 | 1 | METSON | G | 3 | Michael Moroney | 63 |
| 13 | 45×141 | OVERSHARE | C | 3 | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | 75 |
| 14 | 12×2 | PLUTOCRACY | C | 3 | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | 71 |
| 15 | 2112x | SUMMER PASSAGE | C | 3 | Lance O’Sullivan & Andrew Scott | 90 |
| 16 | 3220x123x6 | TAKING AIM | C | 3 | Peter & Paul Snowden | 82 |
