Favourite backers will have to tread warily again after top class mare Spright drew the outside barrier in the 2019 Group 1 $750,000 The Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville on Saturday.
Spright, above, has drawn the outside barrier in the 2019 The Goodwood at Morphettville. Photo by Steve Hart.
Spright drew barrier thirteen of thirteen in the Group 1 $600,000 Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m) at Morphettville a fortnight ago and came from near last to overpower the leaders to claim the prize for Damien Oliver and trainer Garry Frazer.
Oliver will have to adopt similar tactics in The Goodwood again after the mare drew the outside gate in the sixteen horse Goodwood field.
The Garry Frazer trained Spright’s natural pattern of racing is to settle well back in the field and power home and this proved to be successful when she claimed her first Group 1 in the Robert Sangster Stakes against the fillies and mares.
The Tony McEvoy trained Cool Passion set the pace in the Robert Sangster Stakes and had to settle for the runner’s up cheque when she was overpowered in the shadows of the post, but this week she has the advantage of drawing barrier two and will meet Spright on 2kg better terms.
McEvoy’s stable rider Barend Vorster has the ride on Cool Passion again and will have the mare in or near the lead from the good gate.
Early betting at Ladbrokes.com.au has Spright as the $3.50 favourite with Cool Passion on the second line of betting at $6.50 just ahead of the Danny O’Brien trained Iconoclasm at $7.
Iconoclasm has also come up with a double digit barrier and will jump from gate twelve with Craig Williams in the saddle again.
Williams was aboard Iconoclasm when he resumed from a spell for a first up win in the $250,000 VOBIS Gold Sprint (1200m) at Caulfield on April 27.
O’Brien is happy to space Iconclasm’s runs and said the three weeks in between runs is ideal for the four year old.
“He’s in great order,” O’Brien said.
“He galloped well at Flemington. He’s had three weeks between runs, which is a good break, and he’ll do the same before he targets the Stradbroke Handicap.”
The Mat Ellerton and Simon Zahra trained Booker was another to get the visitor’s draw at fifteen and Dwayne Dunn will be hoping for plenty of luck in the early stages to secure some cover just worse than midfield.
Dunn takes over from lightweight jockey Dean Yendall who brought Booker from back in the field to win the 2019 Group 1 $500,000 Ladbrokes Oakleigh Plate (1100m) at Caulfield on February 23 before running ninth to Sunlight in the Group 1 $1.25m Seppelt Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Flemington on March 9.
The David Jolly trained Behemoth has drawn the rails with Anthony Darmanin in the saddle and has been marked as a $19 chance with Ladbrokes.com.au.
