The feature race in Sydney on Saturday sees a quality line-up of three-year-old staying types face off in the Spring Champion Stakes 2021 and it is an open betting affair for the Royal Randwick showdown.
Chris Waller has five 2021 Victoria Derby nominations including Head Of State (pictured). Photo: Steve Hart.
A dozen runners remain in this season’s Group 1 $1 million Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) following the early withdrawal of the Anthony Cummings-trained Chill (3).
Two hopefuls are battling for top spot in Spring Champion Stakes betting with the easing Profondo ($3.40) the current favourite for trainer Richard Litt.
The lightly-raced Deep Impact colt has just his third career start on the weekend.
He won a three-year-old maiden on debut over 1400m at the start of September before catching the eye with a big run for a narrow second in the Group 3 Gloaming Stakes (1800m) later that month.
His conqueror in the Gloaming Stakes, the Chris Waller-trained Head Of State, is the danger again in the rematch at current Spring Champion Stakes odds of $3.80.
The duo will jump beside each other drawn barriers 10 and 9 respectively – coming into 9 and 8 following the early scratching – with Robbie Dolan aboard the favourite and James McDonald continuing associations aboard Waller’s smart American Pharoah colt Head Of State.
Head Of State is out to complete the Gloaming Stakes – Spring Champion Stakes double for the second time in three years following the 2019 success of Shadow Hero.
Waller meanwhile is after his second win in the Spring Champion after his 2015 success with Vanbrugh who also came via a Gloaming Stakes victory that season.
Outside of the dominant duo a further two three-year-olds – potentially eyeing a trip to Melbourne for the Group 1 $2 million Victoria Derby (2500m) on October 30 – are at single-figures for the win.
Jumping from barrier two with Kerrin McEvoy riding is the Godolphin-raced Alegron ($8.50) coming off a Gloaming Stakes fourth, while the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained filly Never Been Kissed ($4.80) takes on the boys after her upset Group 1 Flight Stakes (1600m) win last time out.
Montefilia made history last Sydney Spring Racing Carnival as the first filly to win the Flight Stakes – Spring Champion Stakes double.
This season New Zealand-bred Tivaci filly Never Been Kissed handed co-trainer her incredible 10th Flight Stakes victory in an impressive upset at 60/1.
She came through that run in top form and gets her chance against the colts and geldings over further on Saturday from barrier eight with Regan Bayliss aboard again.
Of the longer-priced runners the most likely to score an upset include the John O’Shea-trained Reliable Man colt Benaud ($11) who ran a distant third four lengths beaten in the Gloaming Stakes and ultra-consistent Written Tycoon filly Bulloo ($20) coming off a big win in the Toowoomba Guineas for Queensland horseman Stuart Kendrick.
Click here for latest Spring Champion Stakes 2021 betting odds courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au.
2021 Spring Champion Stakes Field & Barriers
| No | Last 10 | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Probable Weight | Penalty | H Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5x10x6521 | HEAD OF STATE | Chris Waller | James McDonald | 9 | 56.5kg | 77 | ||
| 2 | 12 | PROFONDO | Richard Litt | Robbie Dolan | 10 | 56.5kg | 75 | ||
| 3 | 5x025x154 | ALEGRON | James Cummings | Kerrin McEvoy | 2 | 56.5kg | 66 | ||
| 4 | 13 | BENAUD | John O’Shea | Hugh Bowman | 7 | 56.5kg | 66 | ||
| 5 | 310 | FRENCH EMPEROR | David Payne | Tim Clark | 11 | 56.5kg | 62 | ||
| 6 | 33×51 | RAGING BULL | David Payne | Andrew Adkins | 4 | 56.5kg | 62 | ||
| 7 | 19 | INVERELL (NZ) | Clayton Douglas | Nash Rawiller | 13 | 56.5kg | 61 | ||
| 8 | 160×5835 | PATTON | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | Tommy Berry | 1 | 56.5kg | 61 | ||
| 9 | 82×414 | CLYDE | Gary Portelli | Joshua Parr | 12 | 56.5kg | 58 | ||
| 10 | 7×819 | SATIRICAL GLORY | John Sargent | Sam Clipperton | 6 | 56.5kg | 56 | ||
| 11 | 1191 | NEVER BEEN KISSED (NZ) | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Regan Bayliss | 8 | 54.5kg | 95 | ||
| 12 | 8628×71655 | CHILL | Anthony Cummings | Ms Alysha Collett | 3 | 54.5kg | 74 | ||
| 13 | 143×131 | BULLOO | Stuart Kendrick | Ms Rachel King | 5 | 54.5kg | 70 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
