RANDWICK PREVIEW October 3, 2009 EPSOM HANDICAP (1600M) This year’s Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m), at Randwick, falls a long way short of a vintage “Randwick Mile”. Only three Group 1 horses are engaged in the field of 14 (Dane Julia is an early scratching), and they are the out-ofform Triple Honour and Mr Baritone, and the last-start $41 longshot winner Road To Rock. The simple fact that the handicapper was forced to raise the weights 2kg to arrive at Triple Honour as top weight on 57kg, and that only two horses are above the 54kg minimum, speaks for the lack of quality. The saving grace for this Epsom is that the race includes three very promising gallopers who fit the Epsom mould – Rangirangdoo, O’Lonhro and Drumbeats. All three come out of the same race, the G2 Shannon Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill a fortnight ago, when Drumbeats narrowly pipped the luckless Rangirangdoo. O’Lonhro was a disappointing fifth and demoted as short-priced Epsom favourite. Rangirangdoo looks to be perfectly placed to win the Epsom. He is a horse on the rise, comes in on the minimum weight, has a perfect inside draw and he will be ridden by a top jockey in Corey Brown. He ticks all the boxes. Rangirangdoo showed a chink in his armour in the Shannon when he lost his place on the turn and hung under pressure. This time, as he did when he won the G3 Tramway Stakes (1400m) at Randwick, he will follow the pace with the rail to guide him. His slick turn-offoot will carry this son of Pentire home.
Rangirangdoo has had four different jockeys in his past four starts, but it was Brown who rode him to win the Tramway – and the Tramway is the best guide to the Epsom, as 11 horses have completed the Randwick spring double. O’Lonhro deserves to be given another chance despite his last failure. His win in the G2 Chelmsford Stakes (WFA 1600m), over this course, may have taken the edge off him. His cotrainer John Hawkes is not one to waste a run, so punters must respect Hawkes’ decision to run O’Lonhro in the Epsom. Drumbeats comes into the race having beaten both his rivals and as the least-experienced runner with only six starts to his credit. This is a horse that makes his own luck on the pace, and he will be a lot fitter for his Shannon win – only his second start since a 43-week spell. Road To Rock is the enigma. Was his Group 1 George Main Stakes (WFA 1600m, Randwick) win a fluke? Trainer Anthony Cummings is adamant this horse has taken the next step. If so, Road To Rock is a weighted special, as he drops 4.5kg from the George Main to the 54kg limit in the Epsom. Expect Rock Kingdom to run a cheeky race. He was ordinary in the George Main, but trainer Gai Waterhouse, who has won this race five times, has a knack of resurrecting her horses from a bad run. And don’t be surprised if jockey Blake Shinn surprises by rushing RK to the lead from his wide draw to try to dictate the tempo of this race. The tips: Rangirangdoo to beat O’Lonhro, Road To Rock, Drumbeats and Rock Kingdom
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Predicted positions on settling
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Race 8, 4.10pm (Sydney time)
AND ALSO Here we go again, at Flemington at least: plenty of class, plenty of prizemoney, plenty of opportunity, but also plenty of “the grass will be greener at Caulfield or Moonee Valley later this month and at HQ next month”. So, the usual warning for this Saturday: look before you bet – at the condition of your fancy and at its spring goal. Take the Turnbull Stakes – $300,000 is a handy pick-up on the way to wherever, and 2000m is a nice distance to travel to get it. In trying to pick it in two, And Also suggests the race will be run to suit those who can sit forward when there looks to be little pace. With a wait on the early favourite Vigor until he gets his smartly-won weight drop in the Caulfield Cup, Predatory Pricer (fourth up) and Maldivian (third up) are the go around $5-$6. But wait, there’s more. Look back as well as forward and you’ll see that two years ago Scenic Shot ran second in the Turnbull to Devil Moon. And he was 100/1. Even at half those odds this year you should take a shot – he is a Group 1 winner (the Doomben Cup, about 2000m, in May) and he will put plenty of value into multiples. By the way, Scenic Shot didn’t come over from Perth last spring. If race 7 is too long to hold on to your money, get on Hot Danish in race 5. Ignore her wide barrier, usually a worry at 1400m: she wins, by a cat’s whisker, with Neroli closing fast. Stephen Howell