The Hawkes Racing-trained Amangiri fresh off her Hawkesbury Cup win is tipped to salute again back at Rosehill Gardens on the weekend as the favourite in Dark Jewel Classic 2020 betting.
A consistent daughter of All Too Hard, four-year-old Amangiri is one of a capacity field of fillies and mares facing off in Sydney on Saturday in the Group 3 $160,000 Emirates Park Dark Jewel Classic (1400m).
Traditionally part of the Scone Cup Carnival, the 2020 event has been moved from Scone Racecourse to Rosehill as part of the COVID-19 measures.
Drawn well in barrier eight with Tommy Berry to ride, Amangiri is the firming $4.60 top elect in the latest Dark Jewel Classic odds at Ladbrokes.com.au.
Improving on her ninth behind Con Te Partiro in the Group 1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m) run in the wet at Randwick on April 11, she was impressive at Rosehill on ANZAC Day winning the Group 3 Hawkesbury Cup (1500m) with Berry aboard on 55kg.
She is back against her own kind returning to the track this weekend, but will need to be at her best again going up in weight to the equal 59kg topweight in the quality handicap clash.
Occupying the second line of Dark Jewel Classic betting at $6.50 is the Kris Lees-trained Delectation Girl to be ridden by Hugh Bowman of Winx fame.
Newcastle horseman Lees has won two editions of the race in the past 20 years with Romare (2004) and Danish Twist (2016), and looks to have a genuine winning hope again in 2020 with his imported six-year-old.
Delectation Girl may be a maiden down under with her last victory being way back in September of 2017 in Germany, but she has some credible recent form including her fourth in the Queen Of The Turf in tougher company last start.
There are three other runners under double-figures for the win with the Chris Waller-trained Sweet Scandal ($8.50), Irithea ($8.50) who suffered an early blow drawing the far outside barrier and Dyslexic ($9.50).
Sepoy five-year-old Sweet Scandal is another last start Rosehill winner from the Hawkesbury Cup Day meeting on April 25 when she overcame gate 14 of 14 to score an upset win in the Group 3 Hawkesbury Crown (1300m).
Glen Boss retains the ride this weekend with the mare drawn better with gate six for Saturday, ace horseman Waller after his first Dark Jewel Classic win.
Snitzel six-year-old Irithea may have the horror barrier, but the Bjorn Baker-trained mare is being kept safe in betting after a host of consistent past performances at the track including the fourth in the Hawkesbury Crown only three-quarters of a length beaten.
Dyslexic is another Hawkesbury Crown graduate looking to frank the form out of that race, the Foxwedge mare having run an eye-catching third second-up with improvement to come.
Click here for the latest Dark Jewel Classic 2020 odds courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au.
2020 Dark Jewel Classic Field & Barriers
# | Form (Last 10) | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Hcp. Rating |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 0x4316x391 | AMANGIRI | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | Tommy Berry | 8 | 59kg | 104 |
2 | 80x6011x30 | TELEPLAY | Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr) | Nash Rawiller | 18 | 59kg | 104 |
3 | 8×77182624 | MISS FABULASS | Kris Lees | Kerrin McEvoy | 19 | 58kg | 102 |
4 | 1332×64501 | SWEET SCANDAL | Chris Waller | Glen Boss | 6 | 57.5kg | 101 |
5 | 90×6274284 | IRITHEA | Bjorn Baker | James McDonald (late alt) | 20 | 57kg | 100 |
6 | 11267×5338 | BANGKOK | Allan Denham | Ms Rachel King | 4 | 56kg | 98 |
7 | 0527×52064 | DELECTATION GIRL (GB) | Kris Lees | Hugh Bowman | 10 | 56kg | 98 |
8 | 09x0420x97 | MOSS TRIP | Peter & Paul Snowden | Tim Clark | 5 | 56kg | 98 |
9 | 0x44307x83 | DYSLEXIC | Brent Stanley | James Innes Jnr | 9 | 55.5kg | 97 |
10 | 231x8380x0 | READY TO PROPHET | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Adam Hyeronimus | 14 | 54kg | 92 |
11 | 2x4813561x | SURE KNEE | Chris Waller | Glyn Schofield | 11 | 54kg | 91 |
12 | 9x1210431x | ROMANI GIRL (NZ) | Chris Waller | Brenton Avdulla | 16 | 54kg | 90 |
13 | 4x22982x25 | IMPROVEMENT (NZ) | Gary Portelli | TBA | 13 | 54kg | 88 |
14 | 439x59x008 | NICCI’S GOLD | Gary Portelli | Jason Collett | 17 | 54kg | 87 |
15 | 3x941277x6 | STROME | Gary Portelli | Jean Van Overmeire (a) | 12 | 54kg | 87 |
16 | 57813518×4 | INTO THE ABYSS | John Thompson | Robbie Dolan (a) | 2 | 53kg | 90 |
17e | 28×5122107 | ASHARANI | Kris Lees | TBA | 15 | 54kg | 84 |
18e | x00059x141 | OAKFIELD MISSILE | Damien Lane | Sam Clipperton | 7 | 54kg | 82 |
19e | 112112×16 | TRICKY GAL | Matthew Smith | TBA | 1 | 54kg | 80 |
20e | 35693×4062 | SO TAKEN | Chris Waller | TBA | 3 | 54kg | 79 |