Spring has sprung and that means only quality racing from here on in!
We are spoiled with three group 2 events at Royal Randwick on Saturday with some quality horse flesh returning to the track to begin their campaigns.
Our full 2020 Chelmsford Stakes Day Tips & Preview can be found below.
Musical Genius has managed six wins from 19 career race starts and was far from disgraced when having her first run for the Joe Pride stable in the Group 3 Toy Show Quality first up.
She was blanketed late in the race but she was forced wider in the concluding stages and fought on well.
The daughter of Swiss Ace will appreciate the step back in class for this assignment and can hopefully kick start our day with a win!
The scratching of It’s Me has really opened up this highway race however it is more often than not an up and coming and progressive horse that wins these highway races.
Absolute Trust fits that profile perfectly having won two and placed three times from six career starts.
Not a lot went right for Sauvestre first up at Canterbury which can not be said for the winner of that race in Escaped.
The Hinchinbrook colt will meet that horse 3.5 kgs better at the weights here and if he can focus on the task at hand and not take one step sideways for every two steps forward, he will be tough to beat.
Nature Strip is rated the fourth best race horse in the world and despite his poor record first up, I think he will win the Concorde Stakes in a canter.
Gytrash has shown that he is more than capable against some of the best horses in the country and is a Group 1 winner first up.
Splintex is a very progressive son of Snitzel who has trialed well leading into this first up assignment.
Dirty Work is another who has earned his shot against a couple of quality horses to see where he is at going forward.
First Four straight down the line is about the only play I could see in this race.
Kinane is clearly a talented young horse who was storming home late in the piece when resuming over the 1400m at Randwick.
His racing pattern means that he gets right back in the field but he has a devastating turn of foot.
McCormack was another that caught the eye out of that same race as Kinane and he has drawn a much more ideal barrier.
Over the odds.
I have quite a big opinion of Hungry Heart who was excellent when taking out the Group 2 Sweet Embrace at Randwick in the Autumn at just her second race start.
The daughter of Frankel was far from disgraced in the Golden Slipper behind Farnan and I have no doubt that she will measure up in Group 1 company during the spring.
James McDonald and barrier three are both an advantage in the Furious Stakes.
Zebrowski is a very progressive gelding who was given his chance in Group 1 company first up in the Winx Stakes.
His run from the tail of the field was full of merit and he finished just 4.7 lengths from the winner in Verry Elleegant.
He was doing his best work late in the race and he will appreciate both the step up in trip and step back in grade.
This is one of the tougher races on the card at Randwick but I’ve landed on the lightly raced five year old Rock.
He has won four of his 11 career race starts and been unplaced only three times and although not everything has gone to plan for connections, he is more than capable of a high rating performance.
He won the Group 3 Cameron at Newcastle this time last year and he has trialed well leading into this first up assignment.
With the scratching of Masked Crusader I’m happy to be with Cristal Breeze in the last.
The lightly raced five year old gelding has been racing very consistently this prep and he maps to get a lovely run in transit from barrier four with James McDonald steering.