A final field of 16 three-year-olds are set to face off in Saturday’s WA Guineas 2016 on Railway Stakes Day including a trio of fillies taking on the boys.
The key support act on the Ascot race card this weekend, the $500,000 Group 2 W.A. Guineas (1600m) is shaping up as a top clash by some well-performing fillies who face off against the colts and geldings over the mile.
Leading post-field WA Guineas betting at Ladbrokes.com.au paying $5 for the win is the Neville Parnham-trained daughter of Testa Rossa Ellicazoom.
She won back-to-back races at the track earlier this campaign before finishing runner-up to Samovare in the Group 3 WA Champion Fillies Stakes (1600m) last Saturday.
On the quick back-up over the same track and distance, Ellicazoom drops a kilo to 54.5kg in the WA Guineas and is tipped as the one to beat in the half-a-million-dollar feature.
The other fillies in the WA Guineas field this Perth Summer Racing Carnival are the Vernon Brockman-trained I Am Boudica and Simon Miller’s Group 1 placed Whispering Brook.
While Ellicazoom is drawn well in barrier six, I Am Boudica and Whispering Brook are drawn wider in gates 13 and 10 respectively.
I Am Boudica has Damien Oliver travelling over for the ride, the daughter of War Chant out to turn the tables on Ellicazoom after her third in the WA Champion Fillies Stakes.
She pays $13 in the latest WA Guineas betting markets, while Whispering Brook is the equal $6 second favourite along with Humanity.
With time to overcome the double-digit barrier, Whispering Brook has Peter Knuckey booked for the mount as the nicely-bred daughter of Hinchinbrook returns to Perth for the first time since the autumn.
She was one of WA’s top performing juveniles winning her opening five career starts including four at Ascot Racecourse.
A triple Group winner as a two-year-old, Whispering Brook has had four runs as a three-year-old all in Melbourne.
Her Ascot-based trainer Miller was disappointed not to come away with a win over in the east, but still added value to his filly when she ran third to Global Glamour in the Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) two back.
This weekend returning home she is out to atone for the 13th to I Am A Star in the Group 1 Myer Classic (1600m) at Flemington on Derby Day.
Lindsey Smith’s Al Maher colt Humanity is the best fancied of the boys in the WA Guineas line-up, Sydney-based jockey Hugh Bowman riding the youngster from a gun barrier three draw.
Humanity has winning form over the track / distance from late October and was last seen running a narrow second when dropping in distance on November 5 in the Listed Fairetha Stakes (1400m).
Back up to 1600m on Saturday will suit and he could prove hard to hold out.
Fairetha Stakes winner Saul’s Special is also set for a rematch in the WA Guineas, the Daniel Morton-trained Charge Forward colt seeing the distance for the first time.
He is the $7 third favourite in the WA Guineas markets, the single-figure fancies in which are rounded out by Get Over It ($9).
Trevor Andrews saddles-up the son of Saxon from one inside of Saul’s Special, Get Over It jumping from barrier two with Perth’s most prolific hoop William Pike in the saddle.
Pike replaces Paul Harvey aboard the gelding who comes off a fourth when beaten under a length in the Fairetha Stakes earlier in the month.
See below for the full W.A. Guineas 2016 field, barriers and jockeys before heading to Ladbrokes.com.au to back your favourites at the hottest odds this summer racing season.
2016 W.A. Guineas Final Field & Barrier Draw
Ascot Racecourse – 19/11/2016
# | Horse | Barrier | Weight | Rating | Jockey | Trainer |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | SAUL’S SPECIAL | 15 | 56.5 | 76 | BRAD PARNHAM | DANIEL MORTON |
2 | THE CELT | 16 | 56.5 | 74 | TAKAHIDE IKENUSHI | VAUGHN SIGLEY |
3 | MINUS LOOKS | 12 | 56.5 | 69 | SHAUN MC GRUDDY | STEVE WOLFE |
4 | WRINKLY | 5 | 56.5 | 66 | JASON BROWN | NEVILLE PARNHAM |
5 | GET OVER IT | 2 | 56.5 | 67 | WILLIAM PIKE | TREVOR ANDREWS |
6 | LUSAHA | 8 | 56.5 | 65 | CRAIG WILLIAMS | DANIEL MORTON |
7 | JAZARI | 1 | 56.5 | 66 | CHRIS PARNHAM | NEVILLE PARNHAM |
8 | ONE SHORT | 9 | 56.5 | 64 | PETER HALL | STEVE WOLFE |
9 | VARIATION | 4 | 56.5 | 65 | DAMIAN LANE | STEPHEN MILLER |
10 | HUMANITY | 3 | 56.5 | 67 | HUGH BOWMAN | LINDSEY SMITH |
11 | GEIGER GEM | 14 | 56.5 | 66 | JARRAD NOSKE | LOU LUCIANI |
12 | FINAL SALUTE | 11 | 56.5 | 62 | DOUGLAS WHYTE | GRANT & ALANA WILLIAMS |
13 | RAGAZZO D’ORO | 7 | 56.5 | – | PATRICK CARBERY | DAVID HARRISON |
14 | WHISPERING BROOK | 10 | 54.5 | 88 | PETER KNUCKEY | SIMON A. MILLER |
15 | I AM BOUDICA | 13 | 54.5 | – | DAMIEN OLIVER | VERNON BROCKMAN |
16 | ELLICAZOOM | 6 | 54.5 | – | STEVEN PARNHAM | NEVILLE PARNHAM |