The time-honoured Festival Stakes headlines another quality ten-race program at Sydney’s Rosehill Gardens on Saturday!
The rail will be left in the true position around the entire course, the track is rated in the Good (4) range at publish, and you can find my complete 2022 Festival Stakes Day Tips below.
Heurisitic returned a nice effort to place on debut, and he can break his maiden on Festival Stakes Day.
The Stret Boss colt did race greenly in the Debutant Stakes, but he showed plenty of promise.
I’m expecting plenty of improvement for that experience and he can fight out the finish on Saturday.
I’m going to give Colour Sergeant another chance in Race 2 on Festival Stakes Day.
Colour Sergeant was a strong and consistent performer last time in and picked off some nice races, and while he is yet to strike in four starts back from a spell, he has been competitive.
He takes his place in this race in peak order, James McDonald is booked to ride, and I don’t think he’ll get a better opportunity to win in Saturday metro company.
This week’s Highway race is a typically open affair and there is a case to be made for many, including Extra Flash.
Extra Flash has been a strong and consistent performer for the Brett Thompson yard since debuting, and he returned with a nice effort to finish second in Class 1 company.
He enjoyed plenty of improvement into an easy win in BM58 company last time out, and he still has upside.
This is a decent rise in class, but he does look up to it, and we can have an each way play at the price.
Floating is another galloper that faces a rise in class on Festival Stakes Day, but he has been excellent this time in, and this looks a lovely Saturday race for him.
The Puissance De Lune gelding hasn’t finished worse than second at his last four trips to the races, and he was a dominant winner of a Midway Handicap over a mile on The Hunter Day.
The 1800m looks absolutely ideal at this point of his prep, he is drawn and weighted well and he needs only even luck in running to be in the finish again.
I thought that Pretty Woman was good when resuming and she’ll take plenty of benefit into this race.
The Matt Dale-trained mare returned some nice performances during a brief autumn prep this year, and she kept her best work for last when fourth, beaten a length and a half in a Highway race when resuming earlier this month.
This is harder, but she’ll relish a big drop in the weights, and she’s another whom we can have something on each way.
Point Counterpoint flew home to finish fourth in the Little Dance on Cup Day, and he’s the one that I want to be with in the Country Classic.
The Bull Point gelding won each of his first two starts back this time, finding form around some talented gallopers, and poor luck was his biggest adversary last time out.
2000m looks ideal at this point of his prep and he can settle a little closer this week from barrier 3.
This looks to be one of the more open races on the Festival Stakes Day program and a horse like Alcyone rates as a key winning chance, at a nice price ($9 at publish).
Alcyone has been a model of consistency this time in, placing in three of his four starts, and he was last seen finishing second in BM90 company at Flemington on Oaks Day.
He’s another galloper that should relish the small rise in trip this week and with even luck, I think that this is a perfect feature race for him.
The time-honoured Festival Stakes always draws a quality field and there is a case to be made for several again this year, including Skyman.
Skyman worked home fairly to finish midfield in The Hunter when resuming a fortnight ago, but his form last time in was outstanding, and including consecutive wins in the McKell Cup and the Rowley Mile.
He tends to enjoy sharp improvement with a run under the belt and the booking of James McDonald adds further confidence.
Bruckner can make a winning return to the races in the Starlight Stakes.
Bruckner hinted at ability during his two-year-old season, but it is fair to say that he furnished into a far better horse at three, and he won the McNeil Stakes before finishing second behind Home Affairs in the Coolmore Stud Stakes.
He hasn’t been seen at the races for more than a year, but his recent trials have been good, and something like this looks very winnable first-up.
This is a rise in class for Akasawa, but he has continued to improve as the bar has been raised, I think he can record another race win.
The Real Impact gelding has recorded five wins and a one second placing from his six career starts, and returned an impressive winner over 1250m at Canterbury, breaking the track record.
This looks the next logical step for him, and the $10 about him at publish is over the odds in my opinion.