The James Cummings-trained Champagne Stakes winner Prized Icon is accepted to make his spring return in the Up And Coming Stakes 2016 at Royal Randwick this Saturday.
Champagne Stakes winner Prized Icon carries top weight in Saturday’s Up And Coming Stakes 2016 at Randwick. Photo: Steve Hart.
The More Than Ready colt enjoyed back-to-back Randwick wins in April, including his smart one length success in the Group 1 Champagne Stakes (1600m) over the mile.
He has trialled twice since at the track where he runs first-up on the weekend carrying the hefty 61kg top weight in the $125,000 Group 2 Primo Smallgoods Up And Coming Stakes (1300m) on Warwick Stakes Day.
Hugh Bowman partners the Group 1 champ from barrier three in the nine-starter field in the three-years-old handicap where Prized Icon gives the weight away to his rivals.
The other Champagne Stakes graduate accepted to run in the Up And Coming Stakes this season is the Hawkes Racing-trained third placegetter Divine Prophet who carries 55kg on the weekend.
The Choisir colt was beaten only 1.1 lengths by Prized Icon in the Group 1 over a mile last time out and comes off a nice third in a Warwick Farm trial over 1000m from August 12 behind current co-favourite in futures Golden Rose betting Impending.
The other highest-weighted runner with 55.5kg is the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained Thronum in barrier six with James McDonald taking over for Tommy Berry in the saddle of the consistent Snitzel colt.
Thronum has had four starts for three wins and a second to date and made his black-type debut last time out in Randwick’s Listed The Rosebud (1200m) for a narrow win on the Heavy (10) track over Mediterranean.
Mediterranean was the most notable non-acceptor for the Up And Coming Stakes this Sydney Spring Racing Carnival after Peter & Paul Snowden opted to save him for a later run in the Group 2 The Run To The Rose (1200m) on August 27 at Rosehill.
Team Snowden are still represented in the Up And Coming Stakes field on the weekend by the returning Taj Mahal in barrier four.
Another son of More Than Ready, the promising colt broke his maiden status at career start number four on April 6 at Warwick Farm and has his first run at Randwick Racecourse on Saturday.
Another last start winner in the line-up is the lightly-raced Lindsay Park-trained Derryn, the Hinchinbrook colt having saluted over 1000m at Caulfield on July 30.
He tracks towards a run in next month’s Group 1 Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) and has his first run over further than 1000m on Saturday from gate seven with Tim Clark coming aboard.
Other notable hopes include the John O’Shea-trained Domesday gelding Kent in his first stakes’ assignment and Chris Waller’s recent Warwick Farm winner in the mud Pound Sterling.
Check out the full Up And Coming Stakes 2016 field, barriers, jockeys and weights below with betting to open shortly online at Ladbrokes.com.au!
2016 Up And Coming Stakes Final Field & Barrier Draw
Randwick Race 4 (1:45pm) – 20/08/2016
| # | Form (Last 10) | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Br. | Wgt. | H. Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3x323211x | PRIZED ICON | James Cummings | Hugh Bowman | 3 | 61kg | 88 |
| 2 | 1121 | THRONUM | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | James McDonald | 6 | 55.5kg | 77 |
| 3 | 5x13x | DIVINE PROPHET | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | Tommy Berry | 9 | 55kg | 76 |
| 4 | 6×1 | DERRYN | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | Tim Clark | 7 | 54kg | 68 |
| 5 | 3x271x | TAJ MAHAL | Peter & Paul Snowden | TBA | 4 | 54kg | 68 |
| 6 | 2x21x | KENT | John O’Shea | Jason Collett | 5 | 54kg | 67 |
| 7 | 50×1 | POUND STERLING | Chris Waller | Brenton Avdulla | 2 | 54kg | 65 |
| 8 | 5x5115x64 | WALK RIGHT IN | Paul Perry | Christian Reith | 8 | 54kg | 62 |
| 9 | 425x6x6 | PITTSBURGH | Anthony Cummings | Jason Collett | 1 | 54kg | 61 |
