Group 1 racing returns to Royal Randwick this Saturday afternoon in the form of the Winx Stakes and there’s a plethora of quality racing all throughout the card.
Our full 2021 Winx Stakes Day Tips & Preview can be found below.
These Highway Handicaps are often won by a a lightly raced horse with a fair amount of upside and Battleground fits that profile well.
The son of Snitzel has just the one win from nine career starts but has been placed in six of nine including a narrow second at Randwick last start in a benchmark 72.
Red Santa was excellent when winning at Caulfield over 2000m two starts back and was far from disgraced at The Valley three weeks ago when second.
This is his first go over 2400m but at this stage in his prep, he will be rock hard fit and he is the most obvious pick the race.
Chateaux Park has just the one win to his name from 15 career starts but he has been in the money eight times.
He’s strung together three placings in a row now albeit in a lower grade of racing but he will be required to carry just 52.5kg in this contest and the double figure odds are enticing.
Pesto is only a lightly raced five year old gelding who has been placed in six of his 11 career starts.
He had just the two starts during his last campaign finishing second in both including a really nice effort behind Mr Dependable over 1800m.
This is much shorter than his ideal distance but four year old grey gelding Love Tap is a horse with serious ability.
He has won four of his six career races including two at this distance and took out the Group 3 Gloaming Stakes this time last year.
Whatever he does in this race he will only improve on but this is a very winnable race for him to kick start his campaign and we are getting nice each way odds.
I have a big opinion of the Robert and Luke Price trained Jamaea who I think will measure up in the three year old Group 1 sprints this spring.
She met Four Moves Ahead and She’s All Class in the Group 2 Sweet Embrace during the autumn but she was slowly away and had to shaken up to settle mid field.
She is best ridden cold so that she can show her very impressive turn of foot late and unlike a few her opponents in this race, she is a genuine sprinter.
Barrier three is perfect and the double figure odds are very juicy in the Silver Shadow Stakes!
I have been really impressed with both of Prime Star’s trials leading into this first up assignment and he looks a much bigger and stronger thoroughbred since the last time I saw him.
The son of Starspangledbanner has raced in black type races for the majority of his short career to date and has always been competitive and hopefully the penny drops for him this prep and he gets some reward for effort.
This is an excellent field of quality horses in the Show County Quality but he represents good value at his current price.
13 wins from 29 career race starts including eight Group 1s.
We are witnessing one of the all time great mares in the history of the sport and we should all savior her while she is racing.
She obviously gets better as she gets through her prep and gets out in distance but her class will take her a long way in any race she contests and James McDonald will have plenty of options from barrier five.
This is a very good betting race with many genuine chances.
Villami has excellent when finishing third in the Group 3 Sir John Monash Stakes at Caulfield six weeks ago and has one win from one start at this track and distance.
I love the fact that she has had a nice trial in between runs, where she finished second to only Masked Crusader, and Tim Clark will get a nice run in transit from barrier four in the Toy Show Quality.
Worth a small each way play at $21!
Let’s box them up in the last and hope for a huge end to the day!