Stay With Me To Contest Royal Randwick Guineas

Co-trainer David Hayes has confirmed that Stay With Me will contest the 2016 Royal Randwick Guineas in Sydney this weekend.

Stay With Me is set to be the only filly in the 2016 Royal Randwick Guineas field. Photo by: Ultimate Racing Photos

Stay With Me is set to be the only filly in the 2016 Royal Randwick Guineas field. Photo by: Ultimate Racing Photos

Stay With Me stamped herself as one of the most talented fillies in the country when she recorded an impressive win in the Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield on October 10 and she has performed fairly without winning this preparation.

The daughter of Street Cry returned to the races in the Group 2 Light Fingers Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on February 13, but she was never given a winning chance by jockey Kerrin McEvoy after being settled at the tail of the field, while she produced an improved effort to finish third behind Ghisoni and Single Gaze in the Group 2 Surround Stakes (1400m) at Royal Randwick on February 27.

Hayes believes that Stay With Me has over raced in both of her race starts this preparation, but he is hopeful that the quick back-up will do the trick for the talented filly when she takes on Press Statement in the Royal Randwick Guineas on Saturday.

“She’s been racing a little bit fresh but I think the quick back-up should work,” Hayes told Racing.com.

“Obviously we’ve got a very good horse to beat in Press Statement but she’s high-class once she can get her manners right in the first 400m.

“She just over-raced last start again and that’s her little tactical weakness but she gets better as she gets into a preparation.

“Her sectionals were the best in the race on Saturday and that was encouraging.”

There have been very few fillies contest the Royal Randwick Guineas in recent years and no filly has won in the Group 1 event since Mosheen upstaged the boys to win the 2012 edition of the race, while Fine Society (2003) and Tycoon Lil (1998) are the only other fillies to have won the race in the past 20 years.

Hayes is chasing his first win in the Royal Randwick Guineas after finishing second in the race with the great Better Loosen Up in 1989 when it was known as the Canterbury Guineas and run over 1900 metres.

Stay With Me is currently available at 2016 Royal Randwick Guineas odds of $9 with Ladbrokes and she is on the second line of betting behind Caulfield Guineas winner Press Statement ($1.70) and the progressive Montaigne ($7.50).

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Thomas Hackett

Thomas is a passionate and opinionated racing journalist and punter who has been obsessed with horse racing since he backed Saintly to win the 1996 Melbourne Cup. An international racing enthusiast, he has his finger on the pulse of racing news not just from Australia but all around the world.