Australian Spring Guineas
The Dixon Racing Machine has been at the forefront of the news lately and they have entered Secret Sentinel here. He comes off a wonderful prep and with Reyes Firkey in the saddle makes for a serious candidate. Browsing put up some good work in his last start with the apprentice up and he could improve a good few lengths.
The Namibian-bred colt, Noble Egyptian is a versatile pacy sort who put up a cracking gallop. He has a good draw and is the kind of horse who could pounce if things go his way. Gav’s Defector is from the Chaotic Neutral yard. He ran a fair enough fifth behind Northern Lights, and could make enough improvement to feature.
Frankel Farm’s runner Sigma Squared is in good form, and showed his well being when storming home to finish second behind Northern Lights in his last start. He has always looked to be decent and could realise his potential here. There will be some betting support for the Champagne Stakes winner, Dansattak, he has very consistent form and he has to be respected.
Priceless Speedster’s Big Poppa Pump did everything but win the heat last time and a repeat of that effort would make him a serious contender here. Northern Lights has the looks of a strong staying sort and could benefit from a tough and dirty race. He put in an impressive gallop at his track and must be a massive runner.
| # | Form | Horse | Stable | Jockey | Final Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Secret Sentinel | Dixon Racing | Reyes Firkey | N/A |
| 2 | 3,6 | Browsing | Valkorum | Lavonne Kaylo | N/A |
| 3 | 3,2,3 | Noble Egyptian | Desert Wind Stables | Terence Buchheit | N/A |
| 4 | 1,5 | Gav’s Defector | Chaotic Neutral | Tabitha Shiyou | N/A |
| 5 | 7,1,3,2 | Sigma Squared | Frankel Farm | Burl Ottosen | N/A |
| 6 | 3,5 | Hauroko Cherished | Back in black | Kenton Strand | N/A |
| 7 | 1,4 | Dansattak | RCS Locos | !Oda Digennaro! | N/A |
| 8 | 1,6,2 | Big Poppa Pump | Priceless Speedsters | !Blazin’ Saddle! | N/A |
| 9 | 1 | Northern Lights | Karaka Breeders | Yukiko Bila | N/A |
| 10 | 1,2,1,2,9 | Bigger | WINNING WAYS STABLES | Johna Veeneman | N/A |
Pre-race comments from:
Valkorum – “Browsing has been a very nice horse for me and I am excited to make another cup final. I have hired a jockey (Lavonne Kaylo) just for this race so I am hoping for an improved performance over my 6th placing in the heats.”
Priceless Speedsters – “It’s a tough field and the stable is still looking for Poppa to show out. Top 3 likely but our fingers are crossed for a surprise finish. Good luck to all.
“No whammy’s, No whammy’s, No whammy’s”
Karaka Breeders – “Happy with the short distance run considering Northern Lights has limited xp, but most were in the same situation as the cup final is a medium distance event. So not sure what will eventuate in the final, but am a little hopeful of a top 5 finish. Mine is also getting a new jockey so that’s not ideal. But whatever happens it’ll give me a good idea where mine is at for future medium cups for this batch of horses.”
Dixon Racing– “Sentinel was a late foal and as such very much been a second stringer – pleasantly surprised by his performance in the heat and he looks to have a bit to come. Not too confident though as there are several runners in the field with very good chances – top 5 will be ok, top 3 will be super!”
WINNING WAYS STABLES – “Excited to get a shot to race for a cup, this is a really tough field. Not sure my chances are great but if my horse shows up, he should be competitive and give a good account of himself. I’m still small but have finally gotten some quality horses so I’m hoping that I ll be involved in a lot more of these cup races. Good luck to all the stables involved in the race.”
Frankel Farm – “Sigma Squared is developing into a nice consistent sort. He’s gone close a couple of times and I am hopeful he can do so again in what looks like a very open renewal. Could be anyone’s race.”
Chaotic Neutral – “A very strong field to run in. I’ve been particularly impressed by Northern Lights‘ speed in his first run ever. Several other strong runners out there and I expect Secret Sentinel and Big Poppa Pump to be the ones to watch. Gav’s Defector didn’t run as well as I hoped, but will try to squeeze into the top 5 and stay within a second of the leaders.”