Tony McEvoy’s CS Hayes Stakes winner Hey Doc is the headline three-year-old among the Australian Guineas 2017 first acceptances for Saturday week’s Flemington Group 1.
Hey Doc is clear favourite in 2017 Australian Guineas betting post-first acceptances for the March 4 Group 1 at Flemington. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
The $750,000 Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m), running on March 4, drew 120 early nominations and that number is down to just 41 hopefuls following first declarations on Tuesday.
The updated Australian Guineas ballot has Hey Doc leading the way after the Duporth gelding posted his fifth career win at Flemington last weekend in the Group 3 CS Hayes Stakes (1400m).
Group 2 winner of the Stutt Stakes at Moonee Valley over the mile, the galloper is proven over the Australian Guineas distance and is pre-field favourite at Ladbrokes.com.au.
The CS Hayes Stakes has produced the past two Australian Guineas winners including Wandjina (2015) who completed the double that Hey Doc currently pays $4.40 to do in 2017.
Second on the Australian Guineas order of entry and a $15 chance in futures markets for an upset win is the James Cummings-trained Victoria Derby winner Prized Icon.
The More Than Ready colt ran a first-up sixth behind Man From Uncle in the Group 2 Hobartville Stakes (1400m) in Sydney last weekend in a brave effort beaten only 2.3 lengths over the unsuitably short distance.
He is better fancied once he gets out over even further than the mile of the Australian Guineas and leads betting for Sydney’s Group 1 Australian Derby (2400m) in April at Royal Randwick.
Team Hawkes’ Caulfield Guineas winner from the spring Divine Prophet is in the mix for the double, the son of Choisir last seen running ninth to Black Heart Bart first-up in the Group 1 CF Orr Stakes (1400m).
He is equal with a host of other three-year-olds at $11, which is the next shortest price on offer for any runner outside of Hey Doc in the Australian Guineas odds on the three-year-old contenders.
Hawkes Racing have three Australian Guineas first acceptors with Divine Prophet ed by Inference and Redouble.
Last year’s Australian Guineas winning trainer Darren Weir (Palentino) has just the one entry this season with his High Chaparral filly Jennifer Lynn at $21 odds to upset the boys.
Other notable Australian Guineas fillies include the Chris Waller-trained Foxplay, Crown Oaks runner-up from the spring Harlow Gold and the Lindsay Park-trained Kevin Hayes Stakes winner Fuhryk.
Waller has a total of five remaining chances to post his maiden Australian Guineas victory led by Comin’ Through ($11) out to improve on a third in the Hobartville Stakes.
Other key entries include the John O’Shea-trained Helmet colt Malaise who ran second in the CS Hayes behind Hey Doc and the fellow Godolphin-raced Morton’s Fork who won the spring’s Group 2 Sandown Guineas (1600m).
The Hobartville Stakes winner Man From Uncle is the most notable omission, the flyer more likely to target the $1 million Group 1 Randwick Guineas (1600m) on the same day in Sydney.
See below for the full 2017 Australian Guineas first acceptances, the final field and barriers set for release on Wednesday March 1.
In the meantime check out the updated markets on all the Group 1 autumn races online at Ladbrokes.com.au.
2017 Australian Guineas First Acceptances
Flemington Racecourse – 04/03/2017
| # | Form (Last 10) | Horse | Sex | Age | Trainer | Ballot | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0x11134x31 | HEY DOC | G | 3 | Tony McEvoy | 1 | 56.5kg |
| 2 | 1x463351x6 | PRIZED ICON | C | 3 | James Cummings | 2 | 56.5kg |
| 3 | x13x1421x9 | DIVINE PROPHET | C | 3 | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | 3 | 56.5kg |
| 4 | 6x454282x0 | SEABURGE | C | 3 | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | 4 | 56.5kg |
| 5 | 30x60497x0 | NIKITAS | C | 3 | Chris Waller | 5 | 56.5kg |
| 6 | 21x1521x54 | MORTON’S FORK | C | 3 | John O’Shea | 6 | 56.5kg |
| 7 | x212x114x2 | FOXPLAY | F | 3 | Chris Waller | 7 | 54.5kg |
| 8 | x710210x52 | ATTENTION | C | 3 | Peter & Paul Snowden | 8 | 56.5kg |
| 9 | 3x611562x3 | HARLOW GOLD (NZ) | F | 3 | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | 9 | 54.5kg |
| 10 | 72x110x15 | LEGLESS VEUVE (NZ) | F | 3 | Stuart Webb | 10 | 54.5kg |
| 11 | 21x11433x5 | INFERENCE | C | 3 | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | 11 | 56.5kg |
| 12 | 54x1122x2 | ELLICAZOOM | F | 3 | Neville Parnham | 12 | 54.5kg |
| 13 | x216321141 | OAK DOOR | C | 3 | Robert Smerdon | 13 | 56.5kg |
| 14 | 1x41113x25 | JENNIFER LYNN | F | 3 | Darren Weir | 14 | 54.5kg |
| 15 | 24x11422x6 | SEZANNE | F | 3 | Chris Waller | 15 | 54.5kg |
| 16 | 121×53 | COMIN’ THROUGH | C | 3 | Chris Waller | 16 | 56.5kg |
| 17 | 5×11141 | FUHRYK | F | 3 | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | 17 | 54.5kg |
| 18 | 1x01x7 | NURSE KITCHEN (NZ) | F | 3 | David Brideoake | 18 | 54.5kg |
| 19 | 323211×3 | ANAHEIM | C | 3 | Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young | 19 | 56.5kg |
| 20 | 6x165344x4 | SO SI BON | C | 3 | Robbie Laing | 20 | 56.5kg |
| 21 | 11x3307x0 | THROSSELL | G | 3 | Ciaron Maher | 21 | 56.5kg |
| 22 | 6162×85 | INSIDE AGENT (NZ) | C | 3 | Nigel Blackiston | 22 | 56.5kg |
| 23 | 11270×7 | SILVERA | C | 3 | Tony McEvoy | 23 | 56.5kg |
| 24 | 3x375150x3 | WINE BUSH | G | 3 | Chris Waller | 24 | 56.5kg |
| 25 | 6x12037x4 | DERRYN | C | 3 | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | 25 | 56.5kg |
| 26 | 6×11417 | SNITZSON | C | 3 | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | 26 | 56.5kg |
| 27 | 0x5856x578 | MANOLO BLAHNIQ (NZ) | C | 3 | Tony Noonan | 27 | 56.5kg |
| 28 | 51429×33 | LAND OF PLENTY | C | 3 | Grahame Begg | 28 | 56.5kg |
| 29 | 4×1411 | FARSON | G | 3 | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | 29 | 56.5kg |
| 30 | 5x2210x41 | THEANSWERMYFRIEND | G | 3 | Robert Smerdon | 30 | 56.5kg |
| 31 | 112×5 | RUTHVEN | C | 3 | Ciaron Maher | 31 | 56.5kg |
| 32 | 13x1135x7 | ACATOUR | C | 3 | Peter & Paul Snowden | 32 | 56.5kg |
| 33 | 2253430×60 | WAZZENME | C | 3 | Stuart Webb | 33 | 56.5kg |
| 34 | 31×222 | MALAISE | C | 3 | John O’Shea | 34 | 56.5kg |
| 35 | 137×254 | REDOUBLE | C | 3 | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | 35 | 56.5kg |
| 36 | 30167×21 | CLIFF HANGER S | G | 3 | Lee & Anthony Freedman | 36 | 56.5kg |
| 37 | 21330×49 | KACHING | C | 3 | Ciaron Maher | 37 | 56.5kg |
| 38 | 1x3670x6 | HARDHAM | C | 3 | David Brideoake | 38 | 56.5kg |
| 39 | 0124×569 | ON THE SPOT | C | 3 | Clarry Conners | 39 | 56.5kg |
| 40 | 12 | SERACENA | F | 3 | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | 40 | 54.5kg |
| 41 | 19×7 | GUNN ISLAND | C | 3 | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | 41 | 56.5kg |
