Dual Group 1 Doncaster Mile winner Sacred Falls has been allocated the topweight of 59kgs for the Group 1 $500,000 Epsom Handicap (1600m) at Randwick on October 4.
Dual Doncaster Mile winner Sacred Falls is topweight for the 2014 Epsom Handicap. Photo by Steve Hart.
Scared Falls is the highest weighted of Chris Waller’s thirteen Epsom Handicap entrants which also include 2013 Epsom winner Boban on 58kgs, Foreteller on 57kgs, Hawkspur on 56.5kgs, Royal Descent on 55.5kgs, Weary on 54kgs and last Saturday’s Group 3 $125,000 Kingston Town Stakes winner He’s Your Man at 52.5kgs.
Leading Melbourne trainer Peter Moody’s prominent Epsom Handicap entries are Dissident weighted on 58kgs, Moment Of Change on $56.5kgs and Lidari on 53kgs.
Dissident is racing in outstanding form and scored his second Group 1 win from his last two starts in the Group 1 $400,000 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington last Saturday but is more likely to stick to the weight for age races and head towards the Group 1 $3m Sportingbet Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 25.
Messene from the Team Hawkes stable has received 54kg but the Lonhro six year old has been disappointing at his last two starts at weight for age behind Dissident with a ninth in the Group 1 $400,000 New Zealand Bloodstock Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 30 and a ninth again in the Makybe Diva Stakes.
Toydini also from the Hawkes Team is on 55.5kgs, up 1.5kgs after running third to Boban last year, whale stablemate Chautauqua, 52.5kgs, threw himself into Epsom Handicap contention with a dominating first up win in the Group 3 $150,000 Bobby Lewis Quality (1200m) at Flemington last weekend.
Winning part owner Rupert Legh said that the stable had a huge opinion of Chautauqua and the Epsom Handicap was on the agenda for the four year old.
“John (Hawkes) has always had a massive opinion of the horse. Even as a late two year old and three year old, he said Rup you just have to put this horse away and he will just get better and better this preparation,” Legh said
“I still think in the Autumn he will be a better horse, but he was half expecting it, he has a massive opinion.””
“We’ve got over stage one and we are still think he is capable of winning a Group 1.”
“At this stage we want to go up to a mile, target the Epsom, maybe the Emirates, one of those. But they have a big opinion of the horse.”
The Kris Lees trained Luca Valentina, 53kgs, and Cluster, 52kgs, are both excluded from the ballot for the Epsom Handicap after recording last start wins in exempt free races.
Lucia Valentina came from last to win the Group 2 $175,000 Tattersalls Club Tramway Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on September 6 while Cluster returned to the winner’s stall for Peter and Paul Snowden with a narrow but impressive win in the Group 2 $200,000 Theo Marks Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill last Saturday.
Early betting for the Epsom Handicap with Ladbrokes.com.au sees a huge traffic jam at the top of the market order with six horses sharing the top spot.
Chautauqua, Dissident, Hawkspur, Lucia Valentina, Royal Descent and Toydini are all marked at $11 ahead of Bull Point, and Leebaz at $13 with Boban close up up at $15.
