The latest lead-up into the $20 million The Everest race in October takes place at Royal Randwick this weekend with a class line-up of sprinters set to battle it out in The Shorts 2024 field.
I Am Me is clear favourite to win Saturday’s 2024 The Shorts and potentially lock in a spot in The Everest field. Photo: Steve Hart.
Saturday’s Group 2 $1 million The Shorts (1200m) is one of two million-dollar features on the Sydney race card with a dozen runners looking to be the next to secure a slot in the world’s richest turf race.
Sitting top of The Shorts betting markets at Ladbrokes.com.au is the talented mare, I Am Me, paying $2.25 and firming to go back-to-back after claiming the Group 3 Concorde Stakes (1000m) last start.
The Ciaron Maher-trained daughter of I Am Invincible is something of a Randwick specialist having now won three of her four starts at the track.
She was eye-catching fresh holding out stablemate Bella Nipotina – who has been locked in by the TAB in the 2024 The Everest field – in the Concorde with the multiple Group 1 placegetter ticking plenty of boxes to go two-from-two this prep.
I Am Me is drawn well in barrier two with James McDonald riding giving her further credentials to salute for the punters on Saturday.
Two other runners are currently at single-figure The Shorts odds to win with Joe Pride‘s reigning champion Private Eye ($6.50) looking to defend his title and the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained Golden Slipper winning filly Lady Of Camelot ($8.50).
A dual The Everest placegetter, Private Eye is looking to be the first two-time The Shorts champion since King’s Favourite back in 1976-77.
Jay Ford will ride the Al Maher seven-year-old from barrier 12 of 12 second-up off a fourth when 2.65 lengths beaten in the Concorde.
Lady Of Camelot meanwhile put in a lovely effort in Melbourne in her maiden run as a three-year-old taking on the older horses to finish a good third under a length beaten at The Valley in the Group 1 Moir Stakes (1000m).
She goes up from 50kg there to 55kg on Saturday so will need to be good, but the daughter of Written Tycoon is proven at elite level and has previous winning form at the distance.
The Shorts 2024 is set to run as Randwick Race 9 at 4:35pm (AEST) as the penultimate event on the 10-race card.
Click here for the latest markets from Ladbrokes.com.au.
2024 The Shorts Final Field & Barrier Draw
| No | Last 10 | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Probable Weight | Penalty | H Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 32x26034x4 | PRIVATE EYE | Joseph Pride | Jay Ford | 12 | 57kg | 112 | ||
| 2 | 149x3003x8 | AFT CABIN | James Cummings | Kerrin McEvoy | 11 | 57kg | 105 | ||
| 3 | 12342x531x | STEFI MAGNETICA | Bjorn Baker | Zac Lloyd (a) | 8 | 56kg | 111 | ||
| 4 | 054x50172x | MAZU | Joseph Pride | Jason Collett | 6 | 56kg | 110 | ||
| 5 | 3x13119x00 | BANDI’S BOY | Danny Williams | Chad Schofield | 3 | 56kg | 96 | ||
| 6 | 6122x344x1 | I AM ME | Ciaron Maher | James McDonald | 2 | 55kg | 114 | ||
| 7 | 4x1212x3 | LADY OF CAMELOT | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Tim Clark | 9 | 55kg | 108 | ||
| 8 | 441x25450x | COAL CRUSHER | Joseph Pride | Regan Bayliss | 10 | 55kg | 106 | ||
| 9 | 23223x41x7 | DRAGONSTONE | Joseph Pride | Reece Jones | 4 | 55kg | 98 | ||
| 10 | 11x2113x12 | OUR KOBISON | Angela Davies | Dylan Gibbons | 5 | 55kg | 96 | ||
| 11 | 20x1216x33 | WAY TO THE STARS | Matthew Smith | Ms Rachel King | 7 | 55kg | 92 | ||
| 12 | 911x049x32 | MUMBAI MUSE | Michael Freedman | Tommy Berry | 1 | 54kg | 54.5kg | 99 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
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