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STAY ON TRACK - SELECTIONS

It's the final day of a Sydney Autumn Carnival that has delivered some sensational moments and Saturday should be no different. There's six Stakes races up for grabs and the feature is a bottler - the $1.5m Group 1-Schweppes All Aged Stakes (1400m) - where exciting grey Briasa is the $3.50 TAB favourite in advance of Joliestar, Broadsiding and Jimmysstar all at $6.50.

The rail is out 6m from the 1000m to the winning post and out 5m the remainder, with the track rated a Soft 7 (after 25.4mls of overnight rain). There's a slight chance of showers on Good Friday morning but it should clear to a sunny 28 degrees for raceday.

This week’s selections: BG

BEST BET
Race 10, No.3 - MIGHTY ULYSSES ($23 on TAB)

Saturday 19th April – ROYAL RANDWICK

2. NEPOTISM ($4 favourite on TAB) was a dominant winner of the Baillieu two weeks ago, defying a late drift. We haven’t seen too many dominant two-year-old performances this autumn. The Brutal colt was deep ended on debut, running third in the Todman behind Tentyris and Wodeton. That was despite striking traffic in the straight. The gamble on Saturday is where he gets to from the dry. In all in markets ahead of the Champagne Stakes he was rated a $2.50 chance, now having drawn 11 he is getting out to an attractive price. From what we have seen in two runs, he doesn’t look to possess tactical speed so that’ll likely see Tyler Schiller drift back but he’s an improving youngster who has the right platform to build further off his last start win.

2. BRIASA ($3.50 fav) was given the run of the race in the TJ Smith Stakes two weeks ago and he took full advantage. Tyler Schiller parked the grey one out and one back and he chased down Overpass in what was a sprint home. There were eye-catching closers making late ground but there was over a length back to third. On Saturday, the four-year-old maps to get exactly the same run and that makes him the horse to beat. There is one leader with 8. Belclare ($21) running the race as she pleases to set the tempo. That suggests you won’t want to be in the second half again, just like the TJ Smith. Briasa does have to run out a strong 1400m, previously untried at the trip, but everything points to him having no trouble with the journey.

Going to have a throw at the stumps with 3. PHEARSON ($41) at big odds as don’t think the market is giving him enough respect. His last two first-up runs have been terrific, winning at Randwick over 1300m beating New Energy two back before last campaign boxing on bravely to run third behind Joliestar in a high rating Show County. He travelled wide the trip on that occasion. He has always been a keen going style of horse but that has been curbed as he has matured. The rest of his spring didn’t pan out but on the back of two eye-catching trials at Rosehill he looks set to bounce back; the latest of those was behind Belclare. This looks a wide open race and he should get his chance to overachieve given where he has drawn.

3. MIGHTY ULYSSES ($23) won a Group Two in Melbourne first-up over the spring, chasing down Buffalo River and Pinstriped. That saw him start a $10 chance at Flemington where Another Wil and Jimmystar were the only two runners shorter in betting. Mighty Ulysses didn’t fire second-up but he isn’t the most consistent horse so that’s no huge surprise so forgive him that. There is enough in the early price to take the punt that the best version shows up again fresh at Randwick. He was fourth in a Festival Stakes behind Private Eye as an $8 chance third-up. The point is that he shouldn’t be such long odds in this grade. Resumes on the back of two good trials at Warwick Farm and Rosehill and looks well placed here in a Benchmark 100 after the 2kg claim of Braith Nock.

View final fields with full form & race replays for Royal Randwick here