Champion mare Winx remains the short priced favourite for today’s Group 1 $1m The Agency George Ryder Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill but three year old Kementari has been tagged as the market mover in the betting at Ladbrokes.com.au.
Winx, above, is chasing her twenty-fourth straight win in the George Ryder Stakes at Rosehill. Photo by Steve Hart.
Race morning markets at Ladbrokes.com.au have Winx drifting from $1.09 to $1.16 while the James Cummings trained Kementari has firmed in $1 from $7 to be the second pick at $6.
The Chris Waller trained Winx is lining up for a hat trick of George Ryder Stakes wins as well as chasing her twenty-fourth win in succession and her seventeen Group 1 win and is coming off a sensational victory in the Group 1 $600,000 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on March 3.
Kementari has quickly established himself amongst the best three year olds racing in the Autumn Carnival and steps up to weight for age company after winning the Group 1 $1m Mostyn Copper Group Randwick Guineas (1600m) at Randwick.
“We have our feet firmly on the ground when it comes to appreciating how far behind Winx he is when it comes to achievement and world rankings,” Cummings said.
“We expect our colt to run well, and like everybody else, we also look forward to seeing Winx step out.”
“He’ll go to races prepared to run well, but we have no pressure on the horse to beat Winx.”
“It’s simply the run he needs to get to the Doncaster and we’ll be more than proud if he could just race up to Winx and make things interesting. We’re happy to saddle him up.”
Cummings said that Kementari has continued to impress on the tracks since the Randwick Guineas and is hoping for a good performance in the George Ryder Stakes in the lead up to the Group 1 $3m The Star Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Randwick on the first day of The Championships April 7.
“We couldn’t be happier with the way Kementari has come out of the Randwick Guineas. He galloped beautifully on Tuesday morning and just sailed to the line under his own steam,” Cummings said.
