Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott have a tough decision on which interstate Group 1 their Autumn Classic winner Farson will contest on Saturday with the galloper featuring in both the Australian and Randwick Guineas 2017 nominations.
A gun three-year-old son of Snitzel, the Sydney-based Farson made it three wins on the trot in Melbourne last weekend taking out a weak edition of the Group 2 Caulfield Autumn Classic (1800m) on Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes Day.
The gelding will now either stay on in Victoria for the $750,000 Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday or head to Royal Randwick for a shot at the $1 million Group 1 Girvan Waugh Randwick Guineas (1600m).
The 2017 Randwick Guineas attracted 27 nominations on Monday morning with Farson the sole nominee for Waterhouse who won the mile feature back in 2002 when it ran at Canterbury with Carnegie Express.
Another last start Melbourne winner among the Randwick Guineas entries looking to continue good autumn form is the Lindsay Park-trained Star Witness filly Fuhryk.
She too out the Group 3 Kevin Hayes Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on February 11 and is also a dual state Guineas nominee for this weekend.
Listed as a $13 chance in pre-field Australian Guineas odds at Ladbrokes.com.au, should she travel up to Sydney for the Randwick Guineas she will be out to be the first filly to win the race since Mosheen (2012).
Lindsay Park, who won the Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes with Catchy last Saturday, have a total of four Randwick Guineas nominations this year.
Harlow Gold is the other filly in the mix for the stable, the Crown Oaks runner-up coming off a first-up third to Kenedna in the Group 3 The Vanity (1400m) at Flemington on February 18.
Seaburge and Snitzon are the colts in the mix, both also entered for the Australian Guineas.
The best form race into the Randwick Guineas in recent years producing six of the last seven winners is the Group 2 Hobartville Stakes.
This year’s Hobartville Stakes winner Man From Uncle is sure to start favourite in Randwick Guineas betting chasing the double last achieved by Hallowed Crown (2015).
The Anthony Cummings-trained Uncle Mo gelding won the Group 3 Eskimo Prince Stakes (1200m) first-up at Randwick before the Hobartville at Rosehill, and will be out over a mile for the first time in the Randwick Guineas field on Saturday.
Cummings is after his second Randwick Guineas success after the win by Hotel Grand back in 2006 who improved off a fourth in that year’s Hobartville.
The Hobartville Stakes placegetters are also nominated for a possible rematch in the Group 1 with the Kristen Buchanan-trained Echo Effect (2nd) and the Chris Waller-trained Comin’ Through (3rd).
Reset gelding from Wyong Echo Effect has run top three in all three starts this time in and was beaten by the narrowest of margins in the photo-finish Hobartville Stakes result.
Comin’ Through meanwhile is out to improve on his length away third in the race, back out over the 1600m for the first time since his Group 3 Carbine Club Stakes win over the distance at Flemington last Derby Day.
Echo Effect is not among the Australian Guineas entries, but Comin’ Through is and could head back to Flemington third-up on the weekend.
The other standout Randwick Guineas early entry is the flying Kris Lees-trained filly from Newcastle Invincible Gem.
The daughter of I Am Invincible is after a fourth win on the trot on the back of the runaway three and three-quarter length Group 3 Spring Stakes (1600m) success at the track and distance in mid-February.
See below for the full Randwick Guineas 2017 nominations, the official final field and barriers out on Wednesday followed by updated markets at Ladbrokes.com.au – home of Odds Boost (T&Cs apply).
2017 Randwick Guineas Nominations
Randwick Racecourse – 04/03/2017
# | Form (Last 10) | Horse | Sex | Age | Trainer | Hcp. Rating |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 13x1135x7 | ACATOUR | C | 3 | Peter & Paul Snowden | 76 |
2 | 15x96010x9 | CAPTAIN DUFFY | C | 3 | Bjorn Baker | 72 |
3 | 151 | COMIC SET | G | 3 | Michael Kent | 68 |
4 | 121×53 | COMIN’ THROUGH | C | 3 | Chris Waller | 81 |
5 | x13x1421x9 | DIVINE PROPHET | C | 3 | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | 104 |
6 | 1117×232 | ECHO EFFECT | G | 3 | Kristen Buchanan | 82 |
7 | 534×394852 | FARAWAY TOWN | F | 3 | Matthew Smith | 76 |
8 | 4×14111 | FARSON | G | 3 | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | 85 |
9 | 5×11141 | FUHRYK | F | 3 | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | 82 |
10 | 1x3670x6 | HARDHAM | C | 3 | David Brideoake | 66 |
11 | 3x611562x3 | HARLOW GOLD (NZ) | F | 3 | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | 94 |
12 | 226×31212 | HARPER’S CHOICE | C | 3 | Gerald Ryan | 70 |
13 | 173 | IMPAVIDO | G | 3 | Bjorn Baker | 63 |
14 | 21x11433x5 | INFERENCE | C | 3 | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | 85 |
15 | 6162×85 | INSIDE AGENT (NZ) | C | 3 | Nigel Blackiston | 74 |
16 | 22×154111 | INVINCIBLE GEM | F | 3 | Kris Lees | 82 |
17 | 51429×33 | LAND OF PLENTY | C | 3 | Grahame Begg | 72 |
18 | 31×222 | MALAISE | C | 3 | John O’Shea | 72 |
19 | 123×11 | MAN FROM UNCLE | G | 3 | Anthony Cummings | 86 |
20 | 0x5856x578 | MANOLO BLAHNIQ (NZ) | C | 3 | Tony Noonan | 71 |
21 | x216321141 | OAK DOOR | C | 3 | Robert Smerdon | 85 |
22 | 0124×569 | ON THE SPOT | C | 3 | Clarry Conners | 67 |
23 | 1x463351x6 | PRIZED ICON | C | 3 | James Cummings | 107 |
24 | 112×5 | RUTHVEN | C | 3 | Ciaron Maher | 74 |
25 | 6x454282x0 | SEABURGE | C | 3 | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | 103 |
26 | 6×11417 | SNITZSON | C | 3 | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | 74 |
27 | 5x2210x41 | THEANSWERMYFRIEND | G | 3 | Robert Smerdon | 71 |