Lankan Rupee heads star studded nominations for T J Smith Stakes

February 9, 2015 by
Home > News > Racing Industry > Lankan Rupee heads star studded nominations for T J Smith Stakes

The world’s equal top sprinter Lankan Rupee will be given a chance to score back to back wins in the 2015 Group 1 $2.5m Darley T J Smith Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on April 4.

Lankan Rupee will get his chance to win back to back T J Smith Stakes at Randwick. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.

Lankan Rupee will get his chance to win back to back T J Smith Stakes at Randwick. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.

The 2014 T J Smith Stakes winner along with equal world number one sprinter Terravista are among the sixty-nine nominations for the 2015 Sydney Autumn Carnival’s sprinting grand final on the first day of ‘The Championships’.

The Mick Price trained Lankan Rupee and Terravista from the Joe Pride stable were rated the equal top sprinters in the world in the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings (WBRR) for 2014 when they were released by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) in London in January.

Lankan Rupee and Terravista recorded Group 1 wins over the 2014 Melbourne Spring Carnival and were both rated at 123 with the promising Chautauqua hot on their heels with a rating of 122 following his second to Terravista in the Group 1 $1m Darley Classic (1200m) at Flemington.

Lankan Rupee’s only Group 1 success in the Spring was his narrow win in the  $1m Sportingbet Manikato Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley but that was on the back a Group 1 winning hat trick during the 2014 Autumn Carnival.

The Mick Price trained super sprinter took out the $400,000 Sportingbet Oakleigh Plate (1100m) at Caulfield, the $1m Lexus Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Flemington and the T J Smith Stakes.

“To have three Australian sprinters ranked so highly in the same year is quite rare and it underlines the strength and respect that our sprinters have on the world stage,” Australia’s WBRR representative, Greg Carpenter said.

“2014 was a breakout year for Lankan Rupee, Terravista and Chautauqua and their high rankings underscore the exciting year ahead for Australian racing fans.”

Chautauqua is one of five high quality sprinters nominated from the Hawkes Racing Stables and is joined by the undefeated Deep Field, 2014 Golden Slipper winner Mossfun, the promising Nostradamus and former North Queensland speedster Our Boy Malachi.

Deep Field showed that he was a force to contend with during the Autumn Carnival when he made it five wins from five starts with a dominate victory in the Group 2 $300,000 tab.com.au Stakes (1200m) at Flemington during the 2014 Melbourne Spring Carnival.

While Mossfun proved that she was the best sprinting two year old of her season with a three quarter of lengths win over Earthquake and Bring Me The Maid in the Group 1 $3.5m Tooheys New Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill during last year’s Autumn Carnival.

Earthquake is one of four Godolphin owned, John O’Shea trained sprinters nominated for the T J Smith, the others are Knoydart, Kumaon, and Sidestep.

While Bring Me The Maid is one of five entered from the Peter Moody stable with A Time For Julia, Armada, Peron and Thinking Of You also nominated.

Leading Sydney trainer Chris Waller is also well represented with three year old sensation Brazen Beau, grey mares Catkins and Arinso and the promising Delectation all among the entries.

Brazen Beau and Delectation ran the quinella in the Group 1 $500,000 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington in the Spring and look to have the talent to take on the older sprinters in the Autumn.

Gai Waterhouse is always a force on her home track at Randwick and would dearly love to win the race named after her famous father and has nominated Group 1 winner Driefontein, the consistent Sweet Idea, and the up and coming Ryker and Supara.

And as well as having the highly rated Terravista, Warwick Farm trainer Joe Pride has also entered the stable favourites Rain Affair and Tiger Tees along with Kuro while Price also has strong representation with Jabali, Cornrow, More Radiant, Nordic Prince and Royal Snitzel

2014 T J Smith placegetters Rebel Dane and Buffering are also among the nominations.

Final acceptances and the all-important barrier draw for the T J Smith Stakes will held on Tuesday, March 31, 2015.

2015 Group 1 T J Smith Stakes Nominations

# Last 10 Horse Trainer Benchmark
1 2147x2208x A TIME FOR JULIA Peter G Moody N/A
2 6x121119x AFLEET ESPRIT David Hayes & Tom Dabernig N/A
3 512x31425x ANGELIC LIGHT Robbie Griffiths N/A
4 02x090x5x9 ARINOSA Chris Waller N/A
5 35x15844x ARMADA Peter G Moody N/A
6 1811x1x AS NEEDED Anthony Cummings 80
7 94800x167x BEL SPRINTER Jason Warren N/A
8 954x91106x BOSS LANE Ron Quinton 87
9 5x122x511x BRAZEN BEAU Chris Waller N/A
10 313x18740x BRING ME THE MAID Peter G Moody N/A
11 7333x1746x BUFFERING Robert Heathcote N/A
12 6x4x1233x1 CATKINS Chris Waller N/A
13 12715x112x CHAUTAUQUA Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes N/A
14 32x52x1 CHLOE IN PARIS Ciaron Maher N/A
15 30x112150x CLUSTER Peter & Paul Snowden N/A
16 53303x960x CORNROW Mick Price N/A
17 11x111x DEEP FIELD Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes N/A
18 111x4342x2 DELECTATION Chris Waller N/A
19 20x620642x DRIEFONTEIN Gai Waterhouse 107
20 1112x3318x EARTHQUAKE John O’Shea N/A
21 714x31162x ELOPING Peter Morgan & Craig Widdison N/A
22 5190x3136x FAMOUS SEAMUS (NZ) Noel Mayfield-Smith N/A
23 85x14131x3 FAST ’N’ ROCKING David Hayes & Tom Dabernig N/A
24 0x9214x02x FONTELINA Anthony Cummings 108
25 10110x GALAXY PEGASUS David Hayes & Tom Dabernig N/A
26 113x11226x GIRL GUIDE David Hayes & Tom Dabernig N/A
27 111x GOLD SEVENTY SEVEN Kris Lees 75
28 434x11650x GREGERS David Hayes & Tom Dabernig N/A
29 5x114x GUN CASE Liam Birchley N/A
30 205x12497x ICONIC Tony McEvoy N/A
31 0x46x5229x I’M ALL THE TALK Gary Portelli N/A
32 2x2270x69x JABALI Mick Price N/A
33 x11133250x KNOYDART John O’Shea N/A
34 3x20340x0x KUMAON John O’Shea N/A
35 165x11113x KURO (NZ) Joseph Pride N/A
36 1111x2213x LANKAN RUPEE Mick Price N/A
37 1144x4227x LORD OF THE SKY Robbie Laing N/A
38 000x32212x LUCKY HUSSLER Darren Weir N/A
39 x62210x17x MIRACLES OF LIFE Peter & Paul Snowden N/A
40 x119330x3x MISSY LONGSTOCKING Liam Birchley N/A
41 34x6323x MORE RADIANT Mick Price N/A
42 1x1121x MOSSFUN Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes 105
43 13x1428x NORDIC EMPIRE Mick Price N/A
44 147x17520x NOSTRADAMUS Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes N/A
45 1x OF THE BRAVE Mark Riley N/A
46 x1511x111x OUR BOY MALACHI Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes 105
47 227x85040x PERON Peter G Moody N/A
48 47x416744x PRESS REPORT Lee Curtis 75
49 136x090x3x RAIN AFFAIR Joseph Pride 105
50 2547x3347x REBEL DANE Gary Portelli N/A
51 112x1x ROYAL SNITZEL Mick Price N/A
52 0x ROYALIC Mark Riley N/A
53 114x10x RUBICK Gerald Ryan N/A
54 16533x300x RYKER Gai Waterhouse N/A
55 60x211x89x SIDESTEP John O’Shea N/A
56 14x6x313 SINGLE DAYS Jason Warren N/A
57 11x SISTONIC David Hayes & Tom Dabernig N/A
58 6x2113D11x SMART CASH Barry Lockwood N/A
59 212x SUPARA Gai Waterhouse 71
60 729x12412x SWEET IDEA Gai Waterhouse N/A
61 x113213x1x TAWTEEN David Hayes & Tom Dabernig N/A
62 x110x1151x TERRAVISTA Joseph Pride N/A
63 113x THINKING OF YOU (NZ) Peter G Moody 76
64 91437x112x TIGER TEES (NZ) Joseph Pride 112
65 262x12111x TRUST IN A GUST Darren Weir N/A
66 114540x25x VA PENSIERO Jason Coyle 95
67 1×2 VEZALAY Leon & Troy Corstens N/A
68 0x1384x69x VILLA VERDE Anthony Cummings 104
69 1x11x1x WAWAIL David Hayes & Tom Dabernig N/A

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.