Group 1 winning filly Yankee Rose has drawn barrier eight in the eleven horse field for the Group 1 $500,000 Moet & Chandon Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on Saturday.
Yankee Rose, above, has drawn barrier 8 in the Spring Champion Stakes at Randwick. Photo by Steve Hart.
Lightweight jockey Dean Yendall takes the ride on Yankee Rose replacing Black Shinn who was on aboard the filly last Saturday when second to the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott trained Global Glamour in the Group 1 $500,000 Sydney Airport Flight Stakes (1600m) at Randwick.
Sunshine Coast trainer David Vandyke is hoping Yankee Rose can breakthrough for another Group 1 victory on Saturday to add to the filly’s win in the $1m Inglis Sires’ (1400m) at Randwick on the first day of ‘The Championships’ during the Sydney Autumn Carnival.
A win in the Spring Champion Stakes will give Vandyke plenty of ammunition for the three year old filly to take on the older horses at weight for age in the Group 1 $3m Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 22.
“If she wins on Saturday we go to the Cox Plate,” Vandyke told AAP.
“If she gets beaten we’ll reassess but if she runs a good race she’ll probably go to the Vase.”
The Group 2 $200,000 Moonee Valley Vase (2040m) for the three year olds is run at Moonee Valley on Cox Plate Day.
Premiership winning trainer Chris Waller is looking to win back to back Spring Champion Stakes with one of his three runners, Veladero, High Mist and Tumultuous, after Vanbrugh took the honours last year.
Rory Hutchings had retained the mount on Veladero after he steered the colt to an all the way win in the Group 3 $200,000 Schweppes Gloaming Stakes (1800m) at Rosehill on September 24.
Veladero has drawn nicely at barrier three and is certain to take up a handy position again while Tumultuous, barrier five with Tye Angland, and High Mist, barrier six with Jason Collett, will settle midfield.
Glyn Schofield will have every opportunity to give the James Cummings trained Prized Icon a perfect run from barrier four and the More Than Ready is searching for his first win since his two year old days when he claimed the Group 1 $500,000 Moet & Chandon Champagne Stakes (1600m) at Randwick during the Sydney Autumn Carnival.
Prized Icon ran his best race since his Champagne Stakes win with a close up third behind Spring Champion Stakes rivals Veladero and Honeywine in the Gloaming Stakes.
Honeywine is one of two colts trainer John O’Shea will saddle up in the Spring Champion Stakes with Retaliation also set to carry the Godolphin royal blue colours.
Honeywine has drawn in close at barrier two while Retaliation is near the outside of the field at gate nine.
Team Hawkes will also have two runners with Swear who has drawn the outside of the eleven horse field with Tommy Berry in the saddle, and Ready Fire Aim coming up with the rails with Christian Reith taking the ride.
