Le Romain has opened top of the Cameron Handicap 2016 betting odds after being accepted for the Newcastle Cup Day feature this Friday as well as a Sydney Group 1 on Saturday.
Le Romain has opened favourite to win Friday’s 2016 Cameron Handicap despite also being accepted for the George Main Stakes on Saturday. Photo: Steve Hart.
Local Newcastle-based trainer Kris Lees has dually accepted for his Randwick Guineas winner Le Romain this week, the four-year-old in the mix for both the $150,000 Group 3 Australian Bloodstock Cameron Handicap (1350m) as well as the $500,000 Group 1 George Main Stakes (1600m) the next day at Royal Randwick.
In the 2016 George Main Stakes Field, Le Romain is one of just eight final acceptors and has the rails run in the field dominated by Chris Waller’s glamour mare Winx.
If he is saved for the Saturday elite level he will have Christian Reith in the saddle on 58.5kg under the weight-for-age conditions of the Sydney Spring Racing Carnival feature.
Lees has kept options open for the son of Hard Spun, the gelding also accepted for the Cameron Handicap field that features a total of 10 runners.
Reith is also booked for the ride at the improver’s home track, Le Romain drawn barrier three and allocated the 59kg top weight in the quality handicap.
He has had two runs this campaign for two seconds, the latest behind Hauraki in the Group 2 Tramway Stakes (1400m) carrying 58kg for the September 3 placing.
The bookies are taking no chances in early Cameron Handicap betting and have Le Romain installed as the $3 favourite at Ladbrokes.com.au.
Occupying the second line of the markets at $3.60 is the in-form John O’Shea-trained Chetwood in the far outside alley (10) in the middle-distance sprint.
The Godolphin-raced son of Exceed And Excel comes off back-to-back wins from August under hefty kilos.
First-up the four-year-old won over 1250m at Canterbury carrying 58.5kg before his 1350m Rosehill win on August 27 with 60.5kg on his back.
Friday will be his first stakes assignment since the third in the Listed Gosford Guineas (1200m) back in late March and Chetwood is set to relish the big drop back to the 54kg minimum in the Cameron Handicap weights.
The two other single figure hopes in the Cameron Handicap odds are His Majesty ($7) and Snoopy ($8.50) drawn in barriers eight and one respectively.
Wyong trainer Kim Waugh saddles-up Shamardal seven-year-old His Majesty in the race, the veteran coming back from 61.5kg that he carried to brave fifth at Rosehill last time out defeated only a length by the winner Sir Bacchus.
His Majesty has had one previous run at Newcastle, the import saluting over 1150m here back in February.
Snoopy has the inside run and Robert Thompson aboard also on the minimum kilos, the Team Hawkes-trained four-year-old coming off a fifth when 2.6 lengths off Mackintosh in the Group 2 Theo Marks Stakes (1300m) only last Saturday.
The other most notable hopefuls are Sadler’s Lake ($11) for Waller who is also accepted to defend his title in Saturday’s Group 3 Bill Ritchie Handicap (1400m) at Randwick, his stablemate Vanbrugh ($15) who is another George Main Stakes acceptor and the Allan Denham-trained Mount Nebo ($12) coming off a Group 3 Show County Quality (1200m) third from August 20.
See below for the full Cameron Handicap 2016 field, barriers, jockeys and weights as well as the current Fixed Win markets provided by our preferred online sportsbook Ladbrokes.com.au.
