RANDWICK PREVIEW August 22, 2009 WARWICK STAKES (WFA 1400M) GROUP 2 Race 6, 3.50pm (Sydney time) Two of Saturday’s Warwick Stakes contenders – Racing To Win and Vision And Power – are heading south later in the spring for the Group 1 Cox Plate (WFA 2040m) at Moonee Valley. History says that only champions can complete this two-state double. The last was the great mare Sunline in 1999 and before her Kingston Town did it twice in 1981 and 1982, and the wonderfully talented “miler” Chatham was the first in 1934. Racing To Win is attempting to win his second Warwick Stakes. He won last year in his only spring appearance before a nagging injury sidelined him for six months. He also finished second behind Court’s In Session in 2006 (remembering the race was aborted in 2007 because of the equine influenza outbreak). This time last year Vision And Power was just one of a herd of handy gallopers making up the numbers. That all changed in the autumn when this gelding emerged under young trainer Joe Pride as one of the best gallopers in the land, winning the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes (WFA 1500m) at Rosehill before taking out the Group 1 Doncaster Handicap (1600m) at Randwick. On the basis of sheer class alone, these two grand geldings, both aged seven, should fight out the finish of the Warwick. Their strength at the finish will be helped by a likely solid tempo to be set by the speedy Court Command. Racing To Win, from barrier three, should get a cosy run just forward of
midfield on the fence. With Court Command running along in front, the shortest way home will be best. This gives him the advantage over Vision And Power, who likes to settle back in his races. He will be coming on hard and wide on the bend, whereas Corey Brown on Racing To Win can save ground by cutting the corner. Both horses were given quiet times in recent 800m trials at Warwick Farm. They should be sharp and fresh for their first-up assignments. Court Command ran to his best leading throughout with 60.5kg on his back at Eagle Farm (1300m) on August 12. A repeat of that performance will see him run a very cheeky race despite the rise in class. As a 3YO Court Command won twice at Randwick. The honest Dreamscape should be able to track the speed and he will vastly improve on his second-up seventh behind Teasing in the Group 3 Missile Stakes (1100m) on August 1. He has been given time to get over the run and the tempo of the 1400m will suit. The interesting runner is the sole 3YO Trusting. The colt has enormous talent but he is taking a monstrous plunge into the deep end against the top WFA horses. The last 3YO to win the Warwick Stakes was the great Lonhro in 2001. Ironically, Lonhro’s impressive son O’Lonhro, despite a huge jump in class, has the talent to cause an upset in the Warwick Stakes. Team Hawkes wouldn’t be running the 4YO gelding against this illustrious company if they didn’t rate him as a contender. The tips: Racing To Win to beat Vision And Power, O’Lonhro, Court Command and Dreamscape.
SPEED MAP
SUBHEAD
Predicted positions on settling
Highlight this paragraph and type text for the race preview. The style for the first paragraph of this text is *Intro Body text and when you start a new paragraph it will change to *Body text. To get bolt text press APPLE B and then type the bold text required, then to get back to normal text press APPLE SHIFT B and keep typing.
AND ALSO While you are tossing up whether Wilander or Secret Flyer can offer value in race seven at Moonee Valley – the much-hyped Black Caviar (R1) certainly doesn’t at long odds-on – it is worthwhile looking interstate. No, not to Randwick, which has a cracking card headlined by the G2 Warwick Stakes and the G3 Up And Coming (is the ‘scrape/scape’ double, Shellscrape and Dreamscape, the way to go?), but to Morphettville, where the Listed Penny Edition Stakes (1400m) will give the first look at SA’s big Melbourne Cup hope, Rebel Raider. The dual Derby winner has a long road to the Flemington two-miler, but has sprinted well fresh before. He was fifth first up in the autumn to Mic Mac when caught behind a wall of horses before storming home late up the short Moonee Valley straight. There’s no Mic Mac in this, so don’t ignore the Raider, who has won at 1400m. The Penny Edition, which was known as the SA Cup before PE’s wins in 1980 and ’81 brought a name change, hasn’t launched a Melbourne Cup winner, but it can be a good horse’s race – note that Fields Of Omagh won before his second to Savabeel in the 2004 Cox Plate; Raffindale won in ’77 before his Cox second to Family Of Man. Morphettville’s other highlight is the annual Irish jockeys’ visit, confined this year to SA because Victoria pulled its funding. Get a quid from the Irish boy Robbie Colgan on either Wheel The Lead (Steeple) or Tradesman’s Choice (Hurdle). Stephen Howell