Latest News

By Brad Gray

Tips and race by race preview by Brad Gray for Randwick on Saturday.

The rail is in the True and the form has been done for a soft track.

4. Home Ground is working his way towards another win. The five-year-old spent a long time on the sidelines prior to this preparation (82 weeks) before returning to John Sargent’s stable after a failed move to Hong Kong. First up the five-year-old was very brave having covered ground before putting in a flat showing second up. His effort last start when second to Tochi at Canterbury, with the winner having dictated from in front, was that of a stayer looking for 2400m now. Having lumped big weights recently he slips down to 54.5kg after the claim and there isn’t a lot of speed in this so Tom Sherry will drive forward to settle in the first couple. He won the Geelong Classic out to 2200m in his three-year-old year before running fifth in the Victorian Derby. Peaks now.

Dangers: 2. Desert Path was given a beautiful ride by Nash Rawiller last start, bouncing back from a lacklustre effort the start prior. Looks a quirky horse in that he can lose interest if he loses touch and James McDonald, having ridden him three back, will be aware of this. The knock is the 59.5kg burden. 6. Birth Of Venus was taking ground off Desert Path last start and after two runs over 2400m presents as a hard fit mare. Had questioned her running a strong 2400m prior but she proved she got the trip last time out. The drier the better for 5. California Longbow with a last start fourth to Korcho good enough for this.

How to play it: Home Ground WIN ($4.60 TAB Fixed Odds) Odds & Evens: EVENS

Home Ground at Canterbury last start

Times aren’t everything of course but they suggest that 15. Pinnacle Prince is well above average. The three-year-old colt clocked faster time than the BM58 and Class 1 run on the same day when he won on debut at Scone. The runner up Virtuous Miss has been disappointing since in two runs but she did jump $1.22 and $1.75. He was heavily backed at his first outing and it’s now no secret that trainer Brett Cavanough holds the son of Hinchinbrook in high regard. Pinnacle Prince skips a grade here lining up in a Class 2 at his second start, and is four weeks between runs, but imagine this has been a second up target. The stablemate profiles as the biggest danger but Pinnacle Prince has the advantaged of already being proven over 1100m.

Dangers: 14. It’s Me won over 1000m at Scone on debut and couldn’t have done much more, beating the heavily backed favourite Not Another Reiby. The Shamus Award four-year-old really attacked the line running 34.10s her last 600m (Punters Intelligence) with a particularly dominant last 200m of 11.64s, which was comfortably the quickest across the entire meeting. Again, she skips a grade but we don’t know her ceiling either. 12. Skara Brae has run well against the bias in her two latest outings which has been exaggerated further by wide draws. Off a freshen here, she can bounce back. 10. Toto is still working it all out but he showed at Grafton what he is capable of. Be forgiving of last start when having to come widest.

How to play it: Pinnacle Prince WIN ($4.40 TAB Fixed Odds) Odds & Evens: SPLIT

Pinnacle Prince winning at Scone on debut

Can see a pattern here with 4. Kaapfever and suspect this has been a target race for Joe Pride. The six-year-old presents here third up on the quick back up, exactly what he did last preparation which saw him charge home to win at Warwick Farm holding off Laure Me In and On The White Turf. That was on the back of two lasts. The NZ-bred gelding savaged the line at Warwick Farm last start coming from last clocking a particularly strong last 200m (Punters Intelligence). There is more depth to this race being Saturday company but he was knocking around with the likes of Royal Celebration, White Boots and Monsieur Sisu last campaign before starting hard in the market in the Listed Wagga Cup. That says he’ll measure up in this. It’s also worth noting that Rachel King has ridden Kaapfever six times for three wins and a second.

Dangers: 2. New King won in the manner of a progressive horse last start but he had everything play out perfectly. After a tardy getaway, James McDonald recovered quickly to pinch ground before peeling off 3. Frosty Rock’s back to put him away, relishing the fast tempo. Word For Word was running on into second. Here he is up in weight and draws wide. 5. Adana finds another winnable race and his form ties in through Word For Word while 12. Rothenburg ran third behind Montefila last start, where the winner nipped home in sharp time in behind a slow tempo. We saw what he is capable of in a dominant Highway Handicap win back in mid July.

How to play it: Kaapfever EACH WAY ($14 TAB Fixed Odds) Odds & Evens: EVENS

The case for roughie Kaapfever at @royalrandwick

📹Brad Gray uses Punters Intelligence to detail why this six-year-old has a knockout chance @PrideRacing @tabcomau pic.twitter.com/g2p8cmAOxa

— Racing NSW (@racing_nsw) August 21, 2020

There was a struck match between 3. See You Soon and 1. Dame Giselle ability-wise when the pair regularly faced off as two-year-olds. In fact, See You Soon is yet to run in a race that Dame Giselle hasn’t run in herself. Dame Giselle holds a 3-2 head-to-head verdict. The pair even trialled together recently at on the Kensington track and off that hit out alone it’s easy to make a case that See You Soon has returned better. However, how much emphasis can you put on a trial? The Jean Dubois-trained filly rattled to the line first up last preparation when just missing to Dame Giselle in the Riesling Stakes. Dame Giselle was second up in that race but was deep throughout while See You Soon sucked up the fence. The other thing in See You Soon’s favour is the 2kg weight swing. Not thrilled with barrier 1 given her manners though.

Dangers: The big advantage Dame Giselle has over See You Soon is her racing pattern. The daughter of I Am Invincible could spear forward in a race lacking speed. She has had two trials under her belt too. The best win of her career was on a good deck in the Golden Gift but she does handle the sting out. 6. Redoute’s Image is already up and running which could prove telling over the last 100m. She couldn’t reel in Bothered at Warwick Farm last start but she is back to her own age and sex third up and did mix it with some handy Queensland two-year-olds early days. Taking a line through that Queensland form, 5. September Run warrants respect and James McDonald rides.

How to play it: See You Soon WIN ($3.20 TAB Fixed Odds) Odds & Evens: ODDS

See You Soon and Dame Giselle trialling together recently

10. Roheryn looks very dangerous here on the minimum with a month between runs. The Lonhro gelding kept his faultless first up record intact back in June before hitting the line hard behind Eduardo second up. Punters Intelligence shows he clocked a last 600m of 33.27s. That form has been franked with Educardo subsequently winning the G2 Missile Stakes with the third horse Glenall not far away in fourth. Love how this five-year-old has been managed this preparation as he had a tendency to train off. It’s no coincidence that all five of his career wins have either been first or second up. James Cummings is a brilliant exponent of the tickover trial and this gelding hummed to the line in a recent Hawkesbury hitout when sixth behind Bivouac.

Dangers: There doesn’t look to be a lot of speed here which plays into the hands of 2. Special Reward. Shouldn’t have too much trouble offsetting the wide draw. Kris Lees has been very selective about the kick off point, already scratching twice, and he presents here after three trials. 6. Wild Planet is an unassuming sort or horse but he's in this race up to his ears. Want to oppose 3. Funstar at the price. She’s still an untapped talent but is first up over a trip short of her best with one soft trial under her belt. She’s got big fish to fry in a couple of months time, perhaps over 2000m plus. 8. Inanup has won two on the bounce and was only beaten narrowly by Roheryn back in February.

How to play it: Roheryn WIN ($5 TAB Fixed Odds) Odds & Evens: EVENS

"It's no coincidence that all five of his career wins have been when kept on the fresh side."

📹BEST BET: @godolphin won the Show County last year with Deprive and @BradJGray has pegged a stablemate as a horse with similar scope @tabcomau @SkyRacingAU @royalrandwick pic.twitter.com/FOSk4uC7fd

— Racing NSW (@racing_nsw) August 20, 2020

Loathed to tip against 6. Adelong despite being very well found in early markets. The Brad Widdup-trained filly has won six from eight, including her last three straight. The most significant factor there is that the latest of those victories was her best to date, so she hasn’t finished improving yet. She put a gap on Inanup on that occasion with that galloper since winning two straight himself. The five-year-old daughter of Medaglia D’Oro won’t get control of this race but the Witherspoon is a significant one as it should allow her to cross to sit outside of the lead and she has shown in the past that she can still quicken brilliantly from that position. Whether she can come from any further back than that and still be as effective is unclear so Tim Clark will need to have his wits about him in the first 100m having drawn a touch wide.

Dangers: 1. Sweet Deal faces a big task here in reproducing her first up win last preparation, where she defied her past form winning fresh and doing it on rain-affected ground. It was a first on both fronts. In this though she lumps 59kg and has to do it over 1100m as opposed to 1200m. Simply too classy to discount, though. 5. Yamazaki was set to resume over 1200m a fortnight ago but was scratched due to the heavy track. She looks ready to explode first up off two eye-catching trials but suspect the 1100m might prove a touch sharp. Has shown a devastating turn of foot in the past, albeit on good tracks. Look out for 4. River Bird and 2. Evalina late.

How to play it: Adelong WIN ($2.15 TAB Fixed Odds) Odds & Evens: SPLIT

The last time we saw Adelong at the races

There’s a touch of ‘freak’ about 7. Master Of Wine. He has won four from five since the blinkers have been applied and the loss was a gallant fourth in the G1 Queen Elizabeth having covered a stack of ground from the wide draw. That was his first run in Group One company and he measured right up finishing alongside 12. Melody Belle and Te Akau Shark despite the torrid run. Prior to that the son of British stallion Maxios won effortlessly first up over 1400m before making light work of his rivals straight out to 2000m second up on a Heavy 10. Now a six-year-old, this could be the best season of his career. Sure, he has grand finals pencilled in over much further later in the carnival but get the impression he comes to hand very quickly and with the typical Team Hawkes preparation of a trial only days out from a first up assignment, looks to ready to go fresh.

Dangers: 14. Con Te Partiro won two Group Ones last preparation including a dominant win over Funstar in the Queen Of The Turf. Might have improved again if her trials are any guide. Can see her stalking the leaders from the low draw. Not convinced 12. Verry Elleegant is a ‘first up horse’ but she was breathtaking over the autumn and has trialled up as well as ever. 2. The Bostonian also maps to get a cheap run and his fresh record is well documented (7:6-0-0). 1. Dreamforce loves the 1400m trip (14:5-3-0) and has the speed to offset the wide draw but will he be able to clear 10. Quackerjack? Melody Belle has the class to bounce back but perhaps will already be looking for the mile. 

How to play it: Master Of Wine WIN ($6.50 TAB Fixed Odds) Odds & Evens: SPLIT

Master Of Wine first up last preparation

9. Think It Over is widely regarded as a stayer but it’s no coincidence that two of his three wins have been first up, with a fresh record that reads 4:2-0-1. The five-year-old won his first ever start for Kembla Grange-based trainer Kerry Parker at Hawkesbury beating handy mare Sakura. He was sent for a spell thereafter to return 16 weeks later with a very narrow second behind subsequent Provincial Championships winner Through The Cracks. Think it Over beat Costello over 2000m third up before proving competitive against the likes of Mugatoo and Young Rascal in the second tier staying features over the autumn. He’s an underrated horse. He tends to always trial well but he pipped Adelong in his one Randwick hitout recently. Tipping this will be a blanket finish and he’ll be one of many flooding home late.

Dangers: 16. Minted is a long way out of the handicap being a 70 rater in a BM88 but the four-year-old still fits into this race nicely form wise. He’s on trial at 1400m but his strength through the line behind Varda two back and then Tailleur last start suggests he’ll get it. Wasn’t suited by the tempo last time out and this promises to be much more genuinely run. No You Make Me Smile should see 10. Just Thinkin’ get complete control of this race from the front which makes him dangerous. 8. Poetic Charmer is fit and flying having won two of his past three and was tightened late in the miss. Might have found the right race at the right time again here against the like of 11. Kinane, a classier rival that is sure to improve off the run. 3. Cutadeel can sneak into a place at big odds.

How to play it: Think It Over EACH WAY ($10 TAB Fixed Odds) Odds & Evens: SPLIT

Think It Over beating Adelong in a trial recently

9. Icebath took it all in her stride last preparation breaking her maiden at Newcastle before only two starts later finishing sixth in the G3 Kembla Grange Classic beaten just 0.8L by Asiago and Shout The Bar. After a four week freshen she was unlucky not to beat Indy Car in the Listed South Pacific Classic on Day 2 of The Championships before again racing in restricted room when third to Dawn Passage in the Hawkesbury Guineas (run at Rosehill). Long story short, this Brad Widdup-trained mare took giant leaps all in the space of a couple of months over the autumn. Expect her to be knocking around in better races than this deeper into her campaign. She was given a very quiet trial at Gosford but she did it very easily and if Glen Boss, who rides her here, gave her any rein she’d have exploded.

Dangers: Not sure what to make of the Peter and Paul Snowden-trained colt 15. Bartley. He is dangerously placed down on 54kg and a love backing three-year-olds against the older horses at this time of year given the allowance but want to see him deliver on his promise first. Went down narrowly in the Black Opal back in March before failing in the G1 Sires Produce. Hard to get a confident read on his trials being on the synthetic. 11. Best Stone did it both ends to win at Canterbury last start, albeit aided by the bias, and has been given four weeks to get over that run. 4. Cristal Breeze is in the mix as is 14. Valdostana.

How to play it: Icebath WIN ($5 TAB Fixed Odds) Odds & Evens: ODDS

Icebath trialling at Gosford recently

All the fields, form and replays for the Winx Stakes meeting at Randwick on Saturday