The Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival heats up even further this Saturday with a Group 1 double on offer at Royal Randwick.
The newly named Verry Elleegant Stakes offers a share in $1 million over the mile, before the time-honoured Surround Stakes is run and won between a quality crop of three-year-old fillies.
Another wet track can be expected with rain forecast later in the week, and to help you find a winner, we’ve run our eye across all 10 races in our Verry Elleegant Stakes Day Preview.
Mad Darcey looked up to Saturday grade when attempting a similar contest second-up a fortnight ago.
The mare by Winning Rupert found conditions to suit over slightly shorter, racing across heels approaching the final 200m where she went very close to recording back-to-back wins.
Her previous effort in a weaker race at Gosford was very good and she probably would have gone on with the job if a gap appeared a little sooner last time out.
The wide gate makes this slightly tougher, but Jay Ford sticking in the irons is an obvious plus.
Our Kobison almost picks himself here in search of his hat-trick.
Angela Davies’ gelding has found a real purple patch during his third prep, stringing together a pair of impressive wins at Rosehill around the same trip.
He was given a peach of a ride under Kerin McEvoy last start, stalking the speed before the button was pushed coming out of the turn where he eventually kicked clear to win by over three lengths.
The win prior came at the hands of J-Mac, and from another inside gate, it’s hard to see the pair being stopped.
Perennial has passed the eye test so far remaining unbeaten in three starts at country level.
He’s yet to prove himself in town but does look ready for the rise in class after gapping his rivals by well over a length off a wide run at Newcastle early last month.
The son of Group 1 Japanese winner Mikki Isle is likely to spot them a start, but given Aaron Bullock knows exactly which rein to pull, I can’t find any reason why they won’t go on with the job.
Storm Boy returns home from a successful stint in Queensland that saw him make his owners a fair bit richer with a win in the 2YO Classic on Magic Millions Day on the Gold Coast.
The colt by Justify hasn’t been seen since, but as the price suggests, he should take a power of beating here if he produces the same turn of foot that saw him score by 2.5 lengths.
A recent trial win between starts at Rosehill has likely kept him sharp and I think we can expect another forward showing from barrier 1 in the Skyline Stakes field.
Logan Street Lion looks like he’s close to another win.
The Tavistock six-year-old hasn’t tasted victory in well over a year, but he was seen making up late ground over the mile a couple of weeks ago where he struggled to find a run over the final 200m.
Once he was clear he showed some nice late speed, and we already know he’s capable of staying the 2000m trip.
Fitter and just needing some luck from a tricky gate, he should be one of the hardest to hold out.
Manaal has attracted strong support off her runner-up effort to Lady Of Camelot in the Widden Stakes first-up last month, form that is proving tough to ignore with that same filly finishing second in the Blue Diamond Stakes last week.
Manaal herself was strong to the line in the Widden, stoking up down the outside where she really only hit top gear over the final 100m.
Her win in the Gimcrack here on debut last year was solid, and based on everything we’ve seen, I doubt 1200m tests her in the Sweet Embrace Stakes.
Fangirl lines up for Group 1 number four in a race now named after Chris Waller’s late, great mare.
The daughter of Sebring was enormous two weeks ago on return in the Apollo Stakes, caught deep in the early stages but really finding something extra out of the turn to win quite easily in the end.
Her win over the mile in the King Charles Stakes during the spring suggests she’ll handle the rise in trip, but if you’re keen on some value, I think it’s worth including Buckaroo to run Top 3 in a Same Race Multi.
The Fastnet Rock entire held his own in the King Charles last year and probably would have gone closer in the Apollo if he wasn’t squeezed late.
Likely to lap up the wet conditions, he’s the one that poses the biggest threat for mine.
Kimochi has gone up a nice price for a filly that just won the Light Fingers on return a couple of weeks ago.
Granted, she got up only narrowly in the end, but it’s hard to ignore her closing speed when weaving her way through traffic to hit the line right down the middle of the straight.
Several should take real improvement into this race, but after running a place in the Thousand Guineas second-up last year, the three-year-old by Brave Smash is the one I want to be with.
Twice placed over the trip with Jason Collett retaining the ride, look for her to adopt similar tactics in the run with good early speed expected.
Interesting to find Duais lining up here at Group 2 level in her first run back.
The multiple Group 1 winner was originally nominated for the Verry Elleegant earlier in the week, but clearly the stable think she’s in need of an easier race considering she hasn’t won a race in close to two years.
She did hold her own in tougher contests during the spring, though – notably placing behind Alligator Blood in the Underwood and Caulfield Stakes, with form around Mr Brightside also making for good reading.
I’m happy to ignore her flat efforts at the trials given that’s typically been the norm for her, while 1400m fresh, as opposed to the mile, looks more up her alley in the Guy Walter Stakes.
Phearson ticks a couple of important boxes ahead of his return to the races in the Liverpool City Cup.
The last we saw of the six-year-old was in The Ingham back in December, finishing 4.6 lengths off Loch Eagle where he weakened badly up on the speed.
The son of Exosphere tends to do his best racing on the fresh side though, while he’s also a proven wet-tracker with most of his wins coming on soft going.