Kris Lees’ Danzero mare Hidden Wonder will be looking to improve on her last-start second at Randwick and beat home all her rivals at Sydney Cup Day on Easter Saturday.
Having come up trumps with barrier one for the $175,000 Group 2 Emancipation Stakes (1600m) at Royal Randwick, Hidden Wonder stands a strong chance of taking out the fillies and mares Easter feature.
A stakes winner and Group placed, the Newcastle-trained six-year-old Hidden Wonder was the eye-catching runner-up to Chris Waller’s English import My Kingdom Of Fife in the Group 3 Doncaster Mile Prelude (1600m) on April 9 at Randwick.
While the former Queen-owned My Kingdom Of Fife faces a Group 1 assignment in the $400,000 Group 1 All Aged Stakes (1400m) on Saturday, Hidden Wonder looks to have an easier task in the Emancipation Stakes.
“She is going to be very hard to beat in the Emancipation Stakes….that’s her race,” trainer Kris Lees said.
Other notable Emancipation Stakes acceptors this year include the Gai Waterhouse-trained Millie Fox Quality winner Montana Flyer drawn in the far outside alley 10, Peter Snowden’s duo of Domesday filly Divorces (barrier nine) coming off a second to Needs Further in the Group 3 Carbine Club Stakes over the Randwick Mile and four-year-old Octagonal mare Shannara (barrier two) and the Kim Waugh-trained Kimillsy due to be ridden by Corey Brown from barrier five having run a close second to Hurtle Myrtle in the Group 2 Sapphire Stakes (1200m) a fortnight ago.
Randwick’s 2011 Sydney Cup Day features a crack eight-race card highlight by four Group 1 showdowns including the marquee event, the $500,000 Schweppes Sydney Cup (3200m).
2011 Emirates Emancipation Stakes Final Field & Barrier Draw
| # | Form (Last 10) | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | H. Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20879X0094 | SMALL MINDS | John P Thompson | Jim Byrne | 8 | 58kg | 89 |
| 2 | 42970X5165 | MONTANA FLYER | Gai Waterhouse | Nash Rawiller | 10 | 57kg | 101 |
| 3 | 182413X982 | HIDDEN WONDER | Kris Lees | Hugh Bowman | 1 | 56kg | 101 |
| 4 | 14150X88 | LITTLE SURFER GIRL | Chris Waller | Glyn Schofield | 6 | 56kg | 89 |
| 5 | 21111X0636 | SKYERUSH | Guy Walter | Rod Quinn | 4 | 55kg | 84 |
| 6 | 3X21080X32 | DIVORCES | Peter Snowden | – | 9 | 54.5kg | 93 |
| 7 | X751330X42 | KIMILLSY | Kim Waugh | Corey Brown | 5 | 54kg | 90 |
| 8 | 657X90X460 | PAGAN PRINCESS | Grahame Begg | Glen Boss | 7 | 54kg | 88 |
| 9 | 121X4250X2 | SHANNARA | Peter Snowden | – | 2 | 54kg | 87 |
| 10 | 2X131X2239 | SWORN TO SECRECY (NZ) | John O’Shea | Brenton Avdulla | 3 | 52kg | 80 |
