Odds-on favourite Yankee Rose has officially been scratched from the 2016 Champagne Stakes field at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney this Saturday.
Odds-on favourite Yankee Rose has been scratched from the 2016 Champagne Stakes field at Randwick this weekend in Sydney. Photo: Steve Hart.
David Vandyke’s classy daughter of All American was the short-priced fancy in betting at Moet & Chandon Champagne Stakes (1600m) after the Golden Slipper runner-up won the ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes at the track last start.
She failed to a vet inspection on Friday morning however after she was found to be mildly lame on Wednesday in the near-fore heel.
Last Saturday the $1.5 million earner, a winner of three of her four career starts to date, pulled a plate in trackwork.
That was when problems first surfaced, but it hadn’t stopped the money pouring in for her to win the Champagne Stakes on All Aged Stakes Day.
The hoof issues continued over the week and Racing NSW vet Craig Suann said on Friday after the inspection he wasn’t satisfied Yankee Rose was capable of performing at her best in the juvenile’s mile classic this weekend.
She was officially scratched from the Champagne Stakes field at 10:04am (AEST) on Friday, leaving just 10 hopefuls for Saturday’s set weights clash.
Updated Champagne Stakes betting markets have the rails-drawn Obscura ($4) and last weekend’s Listed Fernhill Handicap (1600m) winner Prized Icon ($4.20) battling for the new top spot.
The John O’Shea-trained Street Cry colt Obsucra has had just the two career starts for a winning debut at Kembla Grange on March 7 and a last start fifth behind Attention in Rosehill’s Group 3 Baillieu Handicap (1400m).
He went out a $71 roughie in the Baillieu on March 26 after drawing the outside barrier 14 of 14, but was defeated under a length and a half in a brave effort.
Prized Icon is far better tried, the consistent James Cummings-trained More Than Ready colt having his seventh career run on the weekend.
He is yet to finish outside the money and after his second in the Baillieu, comes off the black-type win over the Randwick mile from last Saturday.
Prized Icon is on the quick back-up then into the Champagne Stakes and rises notably in class, but is proven at the track and distance and had two lengths to spare on Crown Him in the Fernhill.
Jockey Glyn Schofield replaces Hugh Bowman in the saddle, Bowman opting to ride rival Chimboraa ($8.50) on the weekend from barrier three.
The David Payne-trained Congrats colt Chimboraa was second to Souchez in the Group 2 Pago Pago Stakes (1200m) on March 12 before a seventh to Yankee Rose in the Group 1 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) on April 2.
Sam Clipperton rode the horse for both those runs, but jumps on the David Hayes & Tom Dabernig-trained roughie shot North Sky ($51) in the Champagne Stakes.
It is a far more open race with Yankee Rose out of contention and the other single figure chances are Team Hawkes’ last start Kembla Grange winning Choisir colt Divine Prophet ($5.50), ATC Sires’ Produce third placed Not A Single Doubt filly Faraway Town ($7) and the New Zealand visitor El Sicario ($7.50) in his Australian debut.
Check out the updated Champagne Stakes 2016 odds below then follow the links on your favourites to back them at the best prices through Ladbrokes.com.au – home of Odds Boost!
