The heavy 9 track at Randwick today has affected the Group 1 $2.5m Darley T J Smith Stakes (1200m) the hardest with the field being reduced to fifteen runners because of scratchings.
Lankan Rupee remains the favourite for the T J Smith Stakes. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.
Zoustar, Spirit Of Boom and Fontelina have come out of the main field of eighteen while the three emergencies, Irish Fling, Flamberge and Peron were also scratched.
This leaves a field of fifteen to contest the feature weight for age sprint on the first day of ‘The Championships’.
Melbourne’s sprinting star Lankan Rupee remains the $3.50 favourite for the T J Smith Stakes with Ladbrokes.com.au while Irish galloper Gordon Lord Byron has firmed into $5.50 second favourite ahead triple Group 1 winner Buffering at $6.
The Group 1 $3m The Star Doncaster Mile (1600m) will still see a full field of twenty run even with the scratchings of the topweight Boban and second emergency Gypsy Diamond.
Leading trainer Chris Waller will still have a strong contention in the famous Randwick Mile even with the withdrawal of Boban and will saddle up five runners, My Kingdom of Fife, Sacred Falls, Hawkspur, Royal Descent and Weary.
Weary is the best of the Waller runners in the market order at $5.50 behind $4.80 favourite Messene from the Team Hawkes stable.
The other two Group 1s, the $1m Inglis Sires’ (1400m) for the two year olds and the Group 1 $2m BMW Australian Derby (2400m) for the three year olds have escaped any scratchings, leaving the fields intact.
Waller wasn’t prepared to risk his stable stars Zoustar and Boban on the heavy track when he clearly knows that neither of them will be at their best.
“Neither horse is comfortable in it. It’s a waste of time just knocking them around and giving them tough runs when you know the result before they run,” Waller told Racing HQ Saturday.
The total number of scratchings on the heavy 9 rated track for today is twenty-one with Randwick receiving 34.9mm for the last week with more showers forecast during the afternoon.
The total scratchings list is: Race 1: 4 Zizumba.
Race 2: 9 Darci Magic, 11 Juantorena.
Race 3: 7 Miss Steele, 10 Shadad, 16 Papillion Rouge, 22 Glenbawn Dame.
Race 4: 2 Permit, 4 Epingle.
Race 7: 4 Spirit Of Boom, 9 Fonteliona, 16 Zoustar, 19 Irish Fling, 20 Flamberge, 21 Peron.
Race 8: 1 Boban, 22 Gypsy Diamond.
Race 9: Marmelo, 9 Aztec Rose, 18 Postinthyme, 19 Cast In Stone.
