Consistent mare Dixie Blossoms will carry winning form into Saturday’s Group 1 Coolmore Classic (1500m) at Rosehill Gardens and has opened the $8 favourite.
The daughter of Street Sense has been a strong and consistent performer for veteran trainer Ron Quinton since debuting in late 2015 and will take her place in the Coolmore Classic field with a commendable record of six wins and nine placings from only twenty-one starts.
Having added a win in the Group 3 Angst Stakes (1600m) and a smart third in the Group 1 Myer Classic (1600m) to her mantle in spring, Dixie Blossoms trialled extremely well in the lead-up to her Autumn Carnival campaign this time and was simply too good for her rivals in the Group 2 Guy Walter Stakes (1400m) first-up; running away to win by a length.
The five-year-old was allocated gate 4 at Wednesday’s Coolmore Classic barrier draw and will be able to find an ideal position in transit, before calling on her big turn of foot late.
Stable mate Daysee Doom ($14) was less fortunate at the barrier draw and will have to overcome gate 14, if she is to post a maiden win at the highest level in the Coolmore Classic 2018.
Daysee Doom simply does not know how to run a bad race and has finished outside the first three only a handful of times throughout her eighteen career starts.
A winner of the lucrative Group 2 Golden Pendant (1400m) most notably in spring, the daughter of Domesday produced a typically tough performance to win the Group 2 Millie Fox Stakes (1300m) by a head first-up this time and will take plenty of improvement into the Coolmore Classic.
Heavens Above ($34) will attempt to defend her win in last year’s Coolmore Classic second-up on Saturday, but she will need to improve tenfold off a flat run for sixth in the Millie Fox.
Silent Sedition tuned-up for the race with an easy win in the Group 3 Mannerism Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on February 24th and does look to be a touch over the odds at her current $10 quote.
The daughter of War Chant ran an agonizingly-close second in the Coolmore Classic last year and responded with an impressive win in the Group 1 William Reid Stakes (1200m) weeks later.
Godolphin will launch a smart two-pronged attack after James Cummings elected to accept positions in the 2018 Coolmore Classic field for both Raiment ($10) and Alizee ($13).
Raiment has been racing well without finding winning form this time, but she appears ready to peak third-up in the Coolmore Classic.
The daughter of Street Cry was blocked for a a run in the Group 3 Triscay Stakes (1200m) first-up, but still managed to work home for third, while she finished second to Dixie Blossoms in the Guy Walter Stakes last time out.
She meets the race favourite far better at the weights in the Coolmore Classic and she can feature prominently from the rails draw.
Alizee won the Group 1 Flight Stakes (1600m) during an impressive spring preparation and is a live chance under the conditions of the Coolmore.
The Sepoy filly easily accounted for a field of her own age group in the Group 2 Light Fingers Stakes (1200m) first-up this time, but failed to fire when sixth in the Group 1 Surround Stakes (1400m) a fortnight ago.