Preview: Day two of The Championships

Day two of The Championships from Royal Randwick promises to be a dream for racing purists and sports fans alike with four Group 1 races on the card and over $10 million up for grabs.

The $4 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes will be run over 2000m with a field containing ten G1 winners and ten internationally bred thoroughbreds.

I’m sticking with the favourite Contributer because his wins have suggested to me that he is a star weight-for-age horse and this is his pinnacle. His authoritative win at G1 level in the Ranvet Stakes over 2000m, beating the Japan horse Tosen Stardom, suggested that he is going to be mighty tough to beat. The only negative he’s got to overcome is barrier 13.

The main danger will come from last Spring Carnival’s Cox Plate hero Adelaide. He’s first-up so we’ve got to trust he’s a champion at heart and Chris Waller has weaved his magic again. I also believe Criterion is ready to peak and claim another G1 victory – he really is a contender from barrier 4 and with Craig Williams in the saddle. Lucia Valentina handles all conditions and also has some hope.

In the 3200m Sydney Cup it’s great to see reigning Melbourne Cup champion Protectionist finally get to a distance he likes. His lead-up runs have been terrific for a horse that does not have form under the 3200m. His last run behind the race favourite Hartnell was very encouraging.

Hartnell will be hard to beat though given the weight relief he’s been gifted – a full 6kgs off what Protectionist is carrying. He showed he’s a future star of Australasian racing by winning the G1 BMW over 2400m. Dropping to 52kgs for the Sydney Cup you can basically say he’s unbeatable as long as he handles the conditions.

The sneaky chance is Akzar but unless there is a major blowout, this is a classic two-horse race.

The 1600m Queen of the Turf is an extremely open affair this time around with five or six genuine chances. The horse I would want to be riding is Noble Protector - her lead-up runs in Melbourne have been outstanding. From barrier 7 with Craig Williams on-board, I think she’s trained to peak here.

The danger may come from Diamond Drille, who just needs a little bit of luck from barrier 11.

It could be a big day for trainer John Sargent because I’m tipping he’ll do the quinella in the 2400m Australian Oaks with Thunder Lady and Gust of Wind. Thunder Lady is the pick of the race because she’s proven – she ran second in the VRC Oaks behind Set Square – and she’ll be extremely competitive with Zac Purton on board.

Her biggest challenger is stablemate Gust of Wind. She got held up last start but she’s a progressive filly who comes off a light provincial program.

Other names to throw in the mix are Winx, Ballet Suite and Savaria. When it comes to Savaria, always be careful of the Kiwis coming off a G1 win.