The bookies are having a hard time separating the best three female gallopers in the Hawkesbury Guineas 2018 betting for this Saturday with Sedanzer the narrow favourite to win thanks to a nice barrier draw.
Sedanzer is narrow favourite in a close 2018 Hawkesbury Crown betting for this Saturday. Photo: Steve Hart.
One of three features on the Hawkesbury Gold Cup Day line-up, this autumn’s Group 3 $175,000 Godolphin Crown (1300m) features a full 14 starter field including the first emergency Alliterate coming in for early scratching Danish Twist who drew the far outside barrier.
Jumping from a gun barrier three draw with Tim Clark booked to ride first-up is the current $4.20 favourite in Hawkesbury Crown betting at Ladbrokes.com.au, the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained Sedanzer.
The four-year-old daughter of Sebring returns to the Hawkesbury track for a second time having won here in October of 2016.
She was in flying form last campaign over the summer winning three on the trot in Sydney before back-to-back seconds including the narrow Gold Coast loss in January’s $1 million Magic Millions Trophy (2200m).
Sedanzer has trialled twice since, the latest producing a two length winning hit-out at Rosehill in early April, and has previous winning form when fresh.
The dangers at the next shortest Godolphin Crown odds this year are White Moss ($4.80) and the genuine early market mover Invincibella ($5).
Mossman four-year-old White Moss is prepared by Jason Coyle and chases her first win since a Group 3 at Randwick last October.
She has had just the one run this time in and was far from disgraced crossing a close third to Quilista in the Group 3 Sapphire Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on April 14.
White Moss does come up from 55kg that day to 58kg at set weights plus penalties on the weekend, but she is two-from-two second-up to date and looks a genuine winning chance here.
Chris Waller, the master trainer of champion mare Winx, won the Hawkesbury Crown last autumn with Shillelagh (2017) and returns 12 months on chasing back-to-back wins with his four-year-old daughter of I Am Invincible, Invincibella.
The mare won the $1 million Magic Millions Fillies & Mares (1300m) race in mid-January narrowly before a first-up fourth in the Sapphire Stakes.
She presents fitter for the run and is another genuine second-up specialist (4:1-3-0), plus has outstanding form over the 1300m distance with two wins and a second from three starts.
Outside of the top three, the other single-figure chance in Godolphin Crown betting for the weekend at $9.50 is Pecans.
An ultra-consistent daughter of Skilled, the four-year-old has finished first or second in her eight latest starts going back to March last year.
She was last seen winning Gosford’s Group 3 Belle Of The Turf Stakes (1600m) at Gosford defeating Sedanzer narrowly and has had three official Warwick Farm trials leading-up to her return.
Pecans has a solid first-up record (5:1-3-0) and she gets the chance to win fresh here after trainer Joe Pride had to abandon original plans to run in the Sapphire Stakes due to a gut issue.
“We were all set to go around in the Sapphire and we had a little disruption and I couldn’t run her in good faith that she would go well,” Pride told Racing NSW.
“This is an easier race, I don’t think she was a winning chance in the Sapphire but I think she is a winning chance in this.”
Check out the full Hawkesbury Crown 2018 field and betting markets below, Saturday racing odds open now at Ladbrokes.com.au.
