Waller vs O’Shea in super Saturday showdown
The Sydney Spring Racing Carnival peaks at Randwick with the Super Saturday meeting and it is set to be a battle between Chris Waller and the might of Godolphin in all three Group 1 events.
The Flight Stakes for three-year-old fillies will be the first Group 1 on Saturday and Waller should be able to claim first blood with star filly Omei Sword.
Omei Sword started her spring preparation with an outstanding victory in the Group 2 Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on August 20 and she lost no admirers with her second place finish behind Astern in the Group 1 Golden Rose Stakes (1400m).
A repeat of that performance would be more than enough to win the Flight Stakes and there are no limits on what she might be able to achieve this preparation.
The Metropolitan is a far more open affair and between them Waller and Godolphin’s John O’Shea have seven of the top eight horses in betting.
Waller will be represented by Sacred Master, Antonio Giuseppe, Who Shot Thebarman, Junoob and Storm The Stars, while O’Shea has Allergic and last year’s winner Magic Hurricane.
It is Sacred Master that is currently the clear favourite, but it is his stablemates Who Shot Thebarman and Storm The Stars that standout from a value perspective.
The Epsom Handicap is the feature race of the afternoon and once again Waller and O’Shea both have strong hands, but it is leading Melbourne trainer Darren Weir that could spoil the party for the Sydney duo.
George Main Stakes runner-up Hauraki is on top of the 2016 Epsom Handicap betting market from Weir’s Palentino, while there is a gap to Waller’s leading trio of Mccreery, Mackintosh and Vanbrugh.
Hauraki and Palentino have been two of the form horses during the 2016 Spring Racing Carnival to date and they look to have a clear class edge over their rivals, but anything can happen in an Epsom Handicap.
The Group 1 racing gets underway at Moonee Valley on Saturday and a star-studded field is set to contest the Moir Stakes.
Chautauqua will start the race as a clear favourite and he is unbeaten over 1000 metres, but he will still have a tough time running down the likes of four-time winner Buffering, speedy mare Heatherly and the in-form Wild Rain.
The incredible weekend of racing concludes at Flemington on Sunday and the Turnbull Stakes is the obvious highlight.
The Turnbull Stakes proves to be a key form reference to the Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup each and every year and that will be the case again in 2016.
All eyes will be on the in-form Hartnell and his Turnbull Stakes run will determine whether he has his next race start in the Caulfield Cup or the Cox Plate.