China Sea, a placegetter in the Victoria Derby, is set to take another step toward his major autumn carnival goals in Sydney when he competes in the Group 1 Randwick Guineas.
The race, a 1600m feature for three-year-olds at Randwick on Saturday, marks China Sea’s second start of the campaign. This follows his second-last finish in the 1400m Hobartville Stakes, where Broadsiding, the early favourite for the Randwick Guineas, took the win.
Trainer John Sargent is pleased with China Sea’s preparation heading into the autumn, especially as the horse looks ahead to targets over distances of 2000m and 2400m.
“He just needed it (in the Hobartville), so he’ll improve with that and go from there to the Tulloch Stakes and then to the Derby,” Sargent explained.
“I think he’s a stronger horse and bigger than he was down at Flemington (in the spring), so I think you’ll see a serious three-year-old when he gets out past a mile,” he added.
Having won a 1400m maiden at Kembla on debut as a late two-year-old, China Sea began to truly find his form when stepping up in distance last spring.
He came close to winning the Caulfield Classic, finishing second over 2000m, and then ran third in the Group 1 Victoria Derby (2500m) at Flemington.
According to Sargent, China Sea was outrun in the 1400m Hobartville but he hopes to see him finishing strongly in the Randwick Guineas. This should set him up for even better performances in the Group 2 Tulloch Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill on March 29 and the Group 1 ATC Australian Derby (2400m) at Randwick the following week.
“They sprinted and he couldn’t really go with them,” Sargent said about China Sea’s performance in the Hobartville.
“As long as he’s hitting the line I’ll be happy and then when we get to the Tulloch and the Derby he should be at his peak,” he added.
“He’s a big, gross horse but I’m really happy with him,” Sargent concluded.
Sargent also mentioned that the Listed Canberra Guineas (1400m) the day after the Randwick Guineas is under consideration for China Sea’s stablemate, French Ruler.
Broadsiding, who has already won three Group 1 races, is the $1.60 favourite for the Randwick Guineas, with China Sea listed at $51.
