Chris Waller has opted to scratch his progressive grey mare Foxplay from the Theo Marks Stakes 2017 this Saturday in Sydney, further shortening the odds on her stablemate Egg Tart for the Rosehill win.
Foxplay has been ruled out of Saturday’s Group 2 Theo Marks Stakes at Rosehill. Photo: Steve Hart
A key feature on the race card, this year’s Group 2 $200,000 Theo Marks Stakes (1300m) field is now down to just seven runners with Foxplay being saved for a run Saturday week.
The four-year-old daughter of Foxwedge was considered the biggest danger stopping Waller’s returning dual Oaks winner Egg Tart from first-up success.
Foxplay nearly stole the show first-up at Randwick getting right out in front and giving her superstar stablemate Winx a real run for her money in the Group 2 Warwick Stakes (1400m).
After missing the kick, Winx took the entire length of the straight to run down Foxplay, but got there in a nail-biter.
Foxplay was accepted for a second-up run in the Theo Marks Stakes, but after the gut-buster that was the Warwick Stakes, she will be given an extra week to recover.
“It’s a lovely race [on Saturday] but I don’t want to flatten her,” Waller told AAP.
“She took a good week to get over her first-up run against Winx.
“Her work since then has been very good but I don’t want to flatten her again.
“She’s also giving some pretty handy horses three or four kilos on weight.”
Foxplay was allocated the 59kg top weight due to her Group 1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m) win at Randwick in the autumn.
“It’s a big weight for a mare to be carrying against these types of horses,” Waller said.
Next-up options for Foxplay now include next weekend’s Group 3 Bill Ritchie Handicap (1400m) at Royal Randwick or a possible clash with Winx again in the Group 1 George Main Stakes (1600m) on the same day.
Foxplay holds a nomination for the Group 1 $3 million Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley in Melbourne on October 28.
That weight-for-age classic though looks Winx’s for the taking again after her historic title defence winning by eight lengths last spring.
Winx is already odds-on at $1.50 in the Cox Plate 2017 odds online at Ladbrokes.com.au.
As for the markets on the Theo Marks Stakes on Saturday, all the money is on Egg Tart ($2.70) for her four-year-old debut.
Drawn gate four with Kerrin McEvoy to ride, the Sebring mare races for the first time since completing the interstate Schweppes Oaks – Queensland Oaks double.
There’s also been a move on Deploy ($6 into $4.20), the Gerald Ryan-trained five-year-old coming off a resuming win in the Group 3 Show County Quality (1200m) on August 19.
Check out the updated Theo Marks Stakes 2017 odds and back Foxplay in her next race at the right price through Ladbrokes.com.au.
