Winterbottom S. - a local or a visitor?
Attempting to become the fifth horse to win this Perth feature on two occasions (he won it two years ago and was third last year), Elite Street (Street Boss {USA}) looks nicely primed off a good fresh effort with his excellent second-up form - five starts, four wins.
Fellow Ascot-trained galloper Massimo (Sessions) was tough leading throughout to win the G3 Lee-Steere S. (for a second time) at his second run in and is bound to be further improved. Also, a last-start stakes winner is This'll Testya (Testa Rossa) who looked to have a bit in hand letting down nicely in the G3 Colonel Reeves S.
Sniparoochy (Snippetson) backs up from a soft all-the-way victory in last weekend's Listed Jungle Mist Classic whilst just as impressive at that level last time out was My Bella Mae (Deep Field) - the Listed Placid Ark S. winner who is yet to taste defeat.
Elite Street attempts to become the fifth horse to win the G1 Winterbottom S. twice | Image courtesy of Western Racepix
Will it be one of these talented locals taking home the prize or will an interstate raider claim the trophy?
Rothfire (Rothesay) is a proven Group 1 performer who was just over a length from the winner in a close finish to the G1 VRC Classic down the Flemington straight. Also coming through that race won by Roch 'N' Horse (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}) is Paulele (Dawn Approach {Ire}) who was also close up and The Astrologist (Zoustar) who finished off strongly at big odds.
Vilana (Hallowed Crown) showed heart running In The Congo (Snitzel) down in The Hunter whilst the South Australian Beau Rossa (Unencumbered) was good behind the classy Argentia (Frankel {GB}) when resuming in Group 3 company at Flemington.
Sandown Guineas - the good colt or the good filly?
Differing Melbourne spring carnival form lines meet here with just one of the runners having contested a recent Group 1 race - the favourite The Fortune Teller (Caravaggio {USA}) who was on the heels of the placegetters in the G1 Caulfield Guineas prior to another good run in the G3 Carbine Club S.
The Burnewang North Pastoral-bred and part-owned colt has a filly as his main rival, the South Australian See You In Heaven (Divine Prophet) attracting plenty of attention with her recent brave and unlucky Listed Desirable S. third after striking decent interference.
It is more than a two-horse race however, with Kings Consort (Ilovethiscity) and Sandpaper (Snitzel) both proven at Caulfield though somewhat surprisingly only one of these 18 horses has a win at the mile under his belt - the lightly raced and promising Dream Hour (Dawn Approach {Ire}) who comes back in distance having been in the thick of things at Listed level over 1800 metres at Flemington. Tokenist (NZ) (Iffraaj {GB}) also ran well in that race.
Gallery: The favourite colt and filly for the Sandown Guineas
The first winner for his sire, Shuriken (Tosen Stardom {Jpn}) backs up from last Saturday, showing good fight winning his second race from just three starts. Sandpaper's stablemate Atmosphere (Lonhro) was run down only late last time out and there are also some lightly raced up-and-comers including Marxist (Capitalist) who comes off a 10l Pakenham maiden victory and Holymanz (NZ) (Almanzor {Fr}) who is bound to relish the 1600 metres.
Merson Cooper S. - promising and well-bred juveniles
It was hard not to be impressed by the debut performance of the well-related Remedies (Sepoy) on Cranbourne Cup Day and it is no surprise to see the Godolphin homebred open up favourite for this tougher test.
A descendant of the champion mare Emancipation (Bletchingly) out of the very fast dual Group 1 winner Virage De Fortune (Anabaa {USA}), Remedies went straight to the front at her first start and just kept going - getting further ahead as she approached the line with her margin a very nice 3.5l.
Two of her rivals on Saturday are her stablemates - Cylinder (Exceed And Excel) who really put in the big strides late when second at his Max Lees Classic debut and Heuristic (a Street Boss {USA} grandson of the G1 Golden Slipper winner Forensics by Flying Spur) who has won a Pakenham jump-out since a tidy third when in the market in the Listed Debutant S. at Caulfield in early October.
Cylinder, the current favourite for the Listed Merson Cooper S. at Caulfield | Image courteys of Ashlea Brennan
Also coming into this with good black-type form is Little Brose (Per Incanto {USA}) who showed fight when second in the G3 Maribyrnong Plate at debut. Beaten but very good having run into trouble in a Murray Bridge contest at his first start, Bona Fide Star (Stratosphere) is the only other runner to have faced the starter.
The debutants have nice pedigrees behind them - Celui (Toronado {Ire}) a three-time jump-out-winning son of the city winner Momma's Snitzel (Snitzel), Fludway (Exceed And Excel) a Kensington trial-winning member of the prolific Triscay (Marscay) family, Gangitano (Written By) a two-time jump-out-winning son of the metropolitan winner Colosimo (Foxwedge), Hell (Hellbent) a dual jump-out-winning son of the Group 3-placed Miss Wonderland (Snitzel) and Hydrogen Power (The Autumn Sun) a Cranbourne jump-out-winning member of the Princess Tracy (Ire) (Ahonoora {GB}) clan.
Summoned S.
First run in 1995 - named in honour of one of Australia's finest broodmares - the G3 Summoned S. is traditionally the last race run on what used to be Sandown's feature raceday... now homed at Caulfield.
My Whisper (Frankel {GB}) also had a tricky gate in that race and was not far away - and has drawn better this time. Belle Plaisir (NZ) (by the in-form Proisir) also comes through that Flemington feature, holding on well after striking interference with 300 metres to go.
Roots, the current favourite for the G3 Summoned S. at Caulfield | Image courtesy of Darren Tindale
Roots (Press Statement) has been in flying form and should once again prove hard to beat... she is one of three Chris Waller-trained runners, the others being Sur La Mer (Nicconi) who has been racing well without the best of luck and Saigon (I Am Invincible) who just doesn't know how to run a bad race.
Mac 'N' Cheese (Sebring) and Toregene (NZ) (Mongolian Khan) are both relatively fresh on the scene with this assignment coming at their third runs for their preparations. The former caught the eye weaving through the field when third in the G3 HKJC S. whilst the latter went to the paddock a Swan Hill carnival winner in June and has won both of her starts this time in
Zipping Classic
Only a small group of horses have been honoured by having a race they won named after them - the likes of Black Caviar (Bel Esprit) and Manikato (Manihi) coming to mind... and Zipping (Danehill {USA}) who won this race (when it was known as the Sandown Classic) on four occasions.
Sadly, Zipping died at his Living Legends home earlier in the year, making the running of this year's race a poignant one for those who loved him and on the back of his 16 wins he certainly had plenty of fans.
Just nine horses take on this 2400 metres weight-for-age contest but there is quality amongst them, none more so than the topweight Vow And Declare (Declaration Of War {USA}) who was shaping well in his quest for a second G1 Melbourne Cup only to strike an unfavourably rain-affected track.
Sound (Ger) is hoping to claim his third running of the G2 Zipping Classic at Caulfield | Image courtesy of Darren Tindale
The last two runnings of this race have been won by the tough entire Sound (Ger) (Lando {Ger}) whose lead-up form this time around again reads well - the 10-year-old finding the line well in the G1 Caulfield Cup and the G3 Queen Elizabeth S.
Another three runners come through the latter race - Persan (Pierro) a solid sixth, Great House (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) just behind him after finding some trouble in running and Luncies (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}) a game second with the winner Soulcombe (GB) (Frankel {GB}) looking to be very smart (opening up an early favourite for next year's Melbourne Cup!).
Great House is one of the three Chris Waller-trained contestants in a race that the trainer won with Who Shot Thebarman (NZ) (Yamanin Vital {NZ}) in 2015. His stablemates Kukeracha (NZ) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) and Desert Icon (Fr) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) both have claims.
The juveniles - which first-season sires are represented this weekend?
It was a very nice group of entires who retired to stud in 2019 and of that group the most well-represented by debut crop runners this weekend is Grenville Stud's lightly raced but well-related Snitzel stallion Stratosphere.
Facing the starter just once - when only narrowly beaten by Performer in the G3 Canonbury S., Stratosphere has served 157 mares in his first three seasons in Tasmania and from just 50 first-crop foals he has four horses in the acceptances this weekend.
A $30,000 graduate of the Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale, the South Australian-trained gelding Bona Fide Star chases black type in the Listed Merson Cooper S. at Caulfield. He rises in class but was good without the best of luck at his Murray Bridge debut.
Stratosphere will be well-represented this weekend with four acceptances looking to break their maidens | Standing at Grenville Stud
Three of the breed take their place in the 2-year-old maiden at Hobart on Sunday with Gretal the only one of that trio to have raced; second as favourite at the same track two weeks ago. Encounter Sphere and Popilita - both bred and raced by Grenville Stud - have trialled well.
Back to Caulfield where Widden Stud's G1 Blue Diamond S. winner Written By and Arrowfield Stud's five-time Group 1 winner The Autumn Sun are both seeking their first winners; the former represented by Gangitano - an $80,000 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale graduate who has won a couple of Mornington jump-outs - whilst the Cranbourne jump-out winner Hydrogen Power (a $280,000 Magic Millions purchase) is the first runner for the latter.
Widden Stud's four-time Group 1 winner Trapeze Artist is also looking for his first winner with Disneck, a $200,000 Inglis Classic buy, taking his place in the Elitegroup Sydney H. at Rosehill - better for the experience of an unplaced debut where he found trouble in running.
In that same race Kimochi is being kept very safe though he is a dual acceptor with a Gold Coast race on Saturday another option for him. A $21,000 Inglis Australian Weanling Sale purchase, he will be the second runner for Aquis Stud's dual Group 1 winner Brave Smash (Jpn) whose first is the unbeaten Perth galloper Brave Halo.
