Last year’s runner-up Viddora is the headline female galloper among the Robert Sangster Stakes 2018 nominations now out for next month’s Morphettville feature.
Viddora is tipped to win the 2018 Robert Sangster Stakes on May 5 at Morphettville Racecourse in Adelaide. Photo: Jenny Barnes.
The Group 1 $1 million Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m) takes place as one of two elite level Adelaide Autumn Racing Carnival events at the track on May 5 and drew 32 early entries.
The highest-rated of the nominees and early $4 favourite in futures Robert Sangster Stakes odds at Ladbrokes.com.au is the local Lloyd Kennewell-trained Viddora.
Last year the daughter of I Am Invincible ran second to Secret Agenda (2017) in the race on the back of a win in the Group 3 RN Irwin Stakes (1100m).
She comes via the same traditional lead-up race this season having placed second as the beaten favourite in last Saturday’s RN Irwin Stakes behind the Perth-trained Dainty Tess.
Since last year’s Robert Sangster Stakes results Viddora has been in flying form with a luckless second to She Will Reign in the Group 1 Moir Stakes (1000m) and fourth to Hey Doc in the Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m) at The Valley in the spring.
She then went to Perth and dominated the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) for a well-deserved top level success, before taking out the Magic Millions Sprint (1200m) on the Gold Coast in mid-January.
Viddora’s RN Irwin Stakes conqueror Dainty Tess also features in the Robert Sangster Stakes nominations for 2018, the in-form Daniel Morton-trained four-year-old chasing her third win on the trot.
The daughter of War Chant saluted back home at Ascot on April 7 before the trip to South Australia for her upset half-length RN Irwin Stakes success.
She now occupies the second line of Robert Sangster Stakes betting at $5.50 to do the double last completed by Driefontein (2014).
The other best out of the RN Irwin Stakes looking to back-up in the Group 1 is the defending Robert Sangster Stakes winner Secret Agenda.
Prepared in Melbourne by Mick Price, the five-year-old Not A Single Doubt mare won last year’s race on the back of a lead-up Group 2 Sapphire Stakes (1200m) win at Randwick a month earlier.
This season Secret Agenda travelled to Adelaide earlier and was under a length beaten for her third in the RN Irwin Stakes.
Secret Agenda currently pays $11 to secure back-to-back Robert Sangster Stakes wins for the first time since the race was inaugurated in 1983.
The best fancied of the Victorian visitors this year meanwhile is the flying Darren Weir-trained Quilista ($6) who looked the real deal securing her third win on the trot in the Sapphire Stakes on April 14 at Randwick.
She is after the double Secret Agenda did in 2017 having overcome barrier 13 of 16 to win the Sapphire by nearly two lengths following wins at Flemington and Rosehill over the same distance.
Weir chases his second Robert Sangster win having prepared Platelet for her 2013 success and has a total of four entries.
Along with Quilista the other Weir-trained nominees are the filly Twitchy Frank, five-year-old Lyuba and the co-$6 third favourite along with her stablemate Whispering Brook.
Formerly Perth-trained, Hinchinbrook five-year-old Whispering Brook has had her past two runs at Morphettville running fourth in the Listed Manihi Classic (1100m) before a win over the Robert Sangster track / distance last Saturday.
Other standout entries include Lindsay Park’s last start Arrowfield 3YO Sprint winning filly Catchy, the Andrew Noblet-trained Rubiton winner from February Super Cash and the Surround Stakes champion three-year-old Shoals.
See below for the official Robert Sangster Stakes 2018 nominations before checking out the early markets at Ladbrokes.com.au ahead of final acceptances on May 1.
2018 Robert Sangster Stakes Nominations
Morphettville Racecourse – 05/05/2018
| # | Form (Last 10) | Horse | Sex | Age | Trainer | H Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1330×60371 | CATCHY | F | 3 | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | 106 |
| 2 | x6x03122x3 | COOL ION | M | 6 | Tony McEvoy | 99 |
| 3 | 2157323×11 | DAINTY TESS | M | 4 | Daniel Morton | 105 |
| 4 | x7490x3900 | DANISH TWIST | M | 6 | Kris Lees | 98 |
| 5 | x9418x3870 | DEJA BLUE | M | 5 | Robbie Griffiths | 85 |
| 6 | 2x11013x0x | FORMALITY | F | 3 | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | 101 |
| 7 | 515x02x6x6 | GHISONI | M | 5 | James Cummings | 100 |
| 8 | 14x212615x | GOGO GRACE | M | 4 | Leon Macdonald & Andrew Gluyas | 91 |
| 9 | 5x3179x316 | HOUTZEN | F | 3 | Toby Edmonds | 98 |
| 10 | 1718x41x17 | IT’S BEEN A BATTLE | M | 4 | Shane Oxlade | 94 |
| 11 | x15028x26x | LEGLESS VEUVE (NZ) | M | 4 | Henry Dwyer | 97 |
| 12 | 5x20821x59 | LYUBA | M | 5 | Darren Weir | 98 |
| 13 | 3672171×12 | MICA LIL | M | 4 | Mark Minervini | 77 |
| 14 | 10x430x701 | MISS GUNPOWDER | M | 5 | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | 98 |
| 15 | 1449729×37 | MISSROCK | M | 4 | Robbie Laing | 106 |
| 16 | 2634532×73 | MYSTIFIED | M | 4 | Ryan Balfour | 74 |
| 17 | 11333×1027 | NIPPERKIN | M | 4 | Barry Brook | 79 |
| 18 | 12x11761x7 | OCEAN JEWEL | F | 3 | Simon A Miller | 76 |
| 19 | x12121x21x | PEDRENA | M | 4 | Mick Price | 97 |
| 20 | 0x009x1094 | PRUSSIAN VIXEN | M | 5 | Michael Mehegan | 100 |
| 21 | 3347×28111 | QUILISTA | M | 4 | Darren Weir | 105 |
| 22 | 6x557x1368 | SEANNIE | F | 3 | Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young | 73 |
| 23 | 7x5114x193 | SECRET AGENDA | M | 5 | Mick Price | 111 |
| 24 | 63530x94x7 | SELENIA | M | 4 | Robbie Griffiths | 76 |
| 25 | 1x1221x81x | SHOALS | F | 3 | Anthony Freedman | 108 |
| 26 | 180x188x1x | SUPER CASH | M | 5 | Andrew Noblet | 109 |
| 27 | 435×520103 | TRUE EXCELSIOR (NZ) | F | 3 | Leon & Troy Corstens | 76 |
| 28 | x2450x4150 | TULIP | F | 3 | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | 89 |
| 29 | 1121583 | TWITCHY FRANK | F | 3 | Darren Weir | 73 |
| 30 | 212x2411x2 | VIDDORA | M | 5 | Lloyd Kennewell | 110 |
| 31 | 537360×141 | WHISPERING BROOK | M | 4 | Darren Weir | 100 |
| 32 | x77204102x | ZESTFUL | M | 6 | Kris Lees | 102 |
