Another solid Saturday of racing is upon us with the 2022 Melbourne Cup winner Gold Trip, and Kennedy Champions Mile victor Alligator Blood each returning after well-earned 16-week spells to do battle at Sandown Lakeside. Sandown plays host to three Group 1 races with #12 Steel City ($4.20) favourite at BossBet to take out the headline Blue Diamond Stakes ahead of #1 Barber ($5.50) who has a 100% winning record from three starts.
Melbourne Cup Winner #1 Gold Trip ($3.30), and runner-up #2 Emissary ($4.20), will compete for the G2 Peter Young Stakes with pundits suggesting the #8 Keats ($11) may have the fitness edge and be better suited to the 1800m distance. Jamie Kah is back on #1 I’m Thunderstruck ($2.90) after a nail-biting fourth at Sandown Hillside earlier this month. She’ll have to contend with familiar foes #3 Mr Brightside ($4.80), #8 Nugget ($6), and of course, #2 Alligator Blood ($3.60) in the Futurity Stakes, who will be on fresh legs after winning the Kennedy Champions Mile last spring.
Other notable runners at Sandown include R5 #7 Acosta ($8) has notched a 1st or 2nd in all three starts to kick off a promising career but may meet his match in #8 Ausbred Rising Sun ($8). #9 Asfoora ($5) will duke it out for the Oakleigh Plate against #10 Lofty Strike ($10) who has collected one win after a 14-week break, and #1 Roch ‘N’ Horse ($31) fresh from a 16-week spell (after being scratched last weekend) with a Darley Champions Sprint trophy adorning the stable mantle.
#1 Anamoe ($1.70) also returns to Randwick as odds on favourite to win the Chipping Norton Stakes headlining what promises to be another great day of racing in NSW. Here are my top picks for tomorrow.
Best Bet – Randwick R9 #1 Profondo ($6.50)
Never thought I’d be making Profondo a best bet in a Liverpool City Cup – not when he was dominating at middle distances as a three-year-old and not when he was failing throughout 2022. However, the stars look to align for him here. He’s been crying out for firm ground – I shudder to think what his record would be like if he was racing during a period of El Nino as opposed to La Nina. He should end up in the right spot behind a decent tempo before pinging away on the right part of the track. Saturday is when we find out whether Profondo remains the Group 1-class galloper he has always appeared.
Best Each-Way – Sandown R5 #8 Ausbred Rising Sun ($8)
For horses such as Glint Of Silver and Wollombi, Sydney midweek form has proven to be gold in recent weeks. Ausbred Rising Sun could continue that trend coming off a dominant Class 1 win at Newcastle. He looks to have plenty of upside and I think the long Sandown straight will allow him to unwind late.
Best Longshot – Randwick R7 #12 A Lot More Love ($41)
Luckless in the Light Fingers and better than the finishing position of 10th of 12 suggests. From gate two, will be able to settle closer although still midfield or slightly worse, and from there it will just be a case of her needing luck. She is likely to drift in the lead-up to Saturday so worth waiting to see what price you can get on race day.
Notable Jockey & Trainer Combo – Hugh Bowman and James Cummings
Hugh Bowman returns to Sydney on Saturday before heading back to Hong Kong. He is due to have two rides for Godolphin supremo James Cummings – super filly R7 #1 In Secret ($2.15) in the G1 Surround Stakes and green two-year-old R3 #Diabelli ($17) in the G2 Skyline Stakes. With Diabelli getting blinkers on for the first time, it might be worth having something on him at double figures, particularly when the Bowman/Cummings pair has a strike rate of almost 30 per cent with an ROI of 48 per cent.
Head to BossBet to get in on the action. Happy punting folks.
