Bryce Heys perennial Group 1 placegetter Spieth kicks off his spring bid in the Concorde Stakes 2017 this weekend heading markets on the Royal Randwick showdown.  

The first of the Group status races on Chelmsford Stakes Day, this year’s Group 3 $150,000 Concorde Stakes (1000m) runs as Race 5 at 2:35pm (AEST). 

The Concorde Stakes has attracted a diminutive but top-class field of just six short distance specialists and currently Spieth heads the odds at Ladbrokes.com.au paying $2.80 to win first-up.  

A talented son of Thorn Park, the gun stallion jumps from barrier three with Corey Brown aboard for Spieth’s first run since the luckless 10th to Chautauqua in the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) in April.  

Spieth is a multiple Group 1 runner-up including in last year’s Darley Classic down the Flemington straight, which is again on the agenda this Melbourne Cup Carnival.  

A fresh flyer, the horse comes off a winning trial at Warwick Farm with Brown aboard and first-up last preparation Spieth finished second when devastatingly close to the winner Terravista in the Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning (1000m) over this distance in Melbourne.  

Two other runners are then battling for second position in the latest Concorde Stakes betting markets with Redzel ($3.70) and Nieta ($3.60) at opposite ends of the weight scale.  

Peter & Paul Snowden saddle-up the 60kg top weight Redzel who won back-to-back races at the end of last preparation.  

After a Group 1 The Galaxy (1100m) second to stablemate Russian Revolution at Rosehill in March, Redzel won the Group 3 Hall Mark Stakes (1200m) at Randwick in mid-April before heading to Brisbane for a victory in the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 (1200m) last time out. 

He has twice trialled at Randwick leading up to his highly anticipated return, most recently beating Russian Revolution (2nd) and Happy Clapper (3rd) in a 1045m heat on August 21.  

There is no denying the ability of the Snitzel five-year-old, but Redzel will need to be at his best giving the weight away to the rest of the field.  

The John Thompson-trained Nicconi mare Nieta meanwhile gets into the Concorde Stakes field on the 54kg minimum and has Brenton Avdulla booked for her opening spring run.  

Nieta is two-from-two at the Randwick track and also boasts an imposing record over the distance with four wins and a third from five starts at the 1000m.  

She is up in grade for this, but has won back-to-back trials at the track leading up to Saturday and deserves her shot at this field looking to retain her flawless first-up record (3-3-0-0).  

It is a wide-open edition of the Concorde Stakes this year with the other three runners being kept safe in betting with no horse over $11.  

The line-up and markets are rounded out by Hinchinbrook mare Super Too ($10) in gate two coming off a win at the track and distance a fortnight ago, the Kris Lees-trained Hawkesbury Rush winner Felines ($11) who benefits from the booking of gun hoop Hugh Bowman of Winx fame and early firmer The Monstar ($14 into $11) last seen finishing third to Invincible Gem in the Group 2 Missile Stakes (1200m).  

See below for the complete Concorde Stakes 2017 field, barriers, jockeys and weights along with the top odds available now at Ladbrokes.com.au.  

2017 Concorde Stakes Field, Barriers & Odds 

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