The David Vandyke-trained Yankee Rose has opened favourite in 2016 Spring Champion Stakes betting for this Saturday in Sydney despite no filly having won the race since its inauguration back in 1971.
Yankee Rose is favourite in 2016 Spring Champion Stakes betting to buck the hoodoo of fillies in the race. Photo: Steve Hart.
The daughter of All American is out to make history at Royal Randwick in this year’s $500,000 Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) looking to become the maiden filly to beat home the boys in the three-years-old feature.
Chasing her first victory since the Group 1 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) at the track as a juvenile back in early April, Yankee Rose sits top of the latest Spring Champion Stakes odds at $2.60 through Ladbrokes.com.au.
Last year Vanbrugh (2015) broke a drought by the favourites saluting for the punters for the first time since Platinum Scissors (2002) and this year Yankee Rose will look to go back-to-back as the top fancy.
She is three runs into her spring campaign after a first-up sixth in the Group 1 Golden Rose (1400m) behind Astern and the close second beaten only a half-length by Global Glamour in last Saturday’s Group 1 Flight Stakes (1600m).
Saturday marks her first look at further than a mile and she has lightweight senior hoop Dean Yendall coming aboard for this and her next-up run against Winx in the Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) at weight-for-age on October 22.
“I would not know what Dean looks like but I do know he can ride 47.5kg hence the reason I have asked him to ride the filly on Saturday,” Vandyke told The Daily Telegraph this week.
“This way Dean can have a spin around on her at 2000m before the Cox Plate but she needs to win the Spring Champion Stakes.”
Back in 1993 Vandyke saddled-up Constant Flight who started the $4 favourite in the Spring Champion Stakes only to fall to the curse of the fillies running third to Fraternity.
The closest a filly has come to beating the hoodoo was in 2014 when First Seal crossed second behind Hampton Court, the winning time of 2 minutes and 0.1 seconds a new track record.
Occupying the second line of betting for Saturday at $3.90 is the James Cummings-trained Prized Icon who chases his second Group 1 win.
The son of More Than Ready capped of an outstanding two-year-old season with the Group 1 Champagne Stakes (1600m) victory at the track.
He has had three runs this time in, most recently crossing just a quarter length back for third in the Group 3 Gloaming Stakes (1800m) at Rosehill a fortnight ago.
The Gloaming Stakes has provide the form line to follow into the Spring Champion Stakes over the past 30 plus years, including producing five of the past six straight winners.
Two of those completed the double and this year Veladero is at double-figures paying $11 to be the next for last year’s winning trainer Chris Waller.
Two other chances are under $10 for the win with Yankee Rose and Prized Icon followed in the markets by Swear ($6.50) in the outside alley and one of Waller’s two other chances High Mist ($9.50).
Prepared by Team Hawkes, Redoute’s Choice colt Swear won the Group 3 Ming Dynasty Quality (1400m) first-up before his sixth when still under a length off the winner in the Gloaming Stakes.
He and High Mist represent the value, the latter having slipped during the Gloaming Stakes ridden out of the saddle for his seventh with sharp improvement to come here.
See below for the full Spring Champion Stakes 2016 odds, betting open online now at Ladbrokes.com.au – home of Odds Boost (T&Cs apply).
