With the Schweppes Handicap at Randwick shaping as an open contest, Star Thoroughbreds’ Denise Martin is keeping her expectations in check ahead of Crossbow’s return to Saturday city racing.
Set to carry the stable’s familiar purple and white colours, Crossbow is a $4.20 chance in the market, sitting behind $2.50 favourite Pillow Fight and Tomato Toastie at $3.60. The trio are the only runners in single figures in a field of nine juveniles.
Crossbow has some solid form to his name, having been gelded after an unplaced run behind subsequent Golden Slipper placegetter Wodeton earlier in the year. He caught the eye when storming home for second behind stablemate Central Coast at Canterbury last month.
“He’s a lovely horse. He ran second to one last start that is beautifully bred, by Wootton Bassett out of Sunlight,” Martin said.
“Chris has been very happy with him. He has trialled well and raced well and we look as though we’re going to get a decent track and small field.
“He is a really handsome, almost black horse. He’s by Better Than Ready and he’s got a really nice way about him. It’s a good race for him after the nice run at Canterbury.”
Jason Collett takes the ride from barrier one, and while Martin remains hopeful, she knows better than to get too confident when it comes to unpredictable two-year-old races.
Pillow Fight brings good form to the race after winning on debut at Canterbury and finishing a solid fifth in Listed company at Eagle Farm. Tomato Toastie, from the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable, is also a last-start winner.
“All I know is when you’ve got two-year-olds and there are unraced horses, you don’t know whether your horse is running against Usain Bolt or me,” Martin said.
“You just don’t know what they’re up against.”
The Schweppes Handicap presents one of the final opportunities for this season’s two-year-olds to score a Saturday metropolitan win before the new racing year kicks off on August 1.
Punters considering betting on the Schweppes Handicap should keep a close watch on Crossbow and the other top market contenders in what promises to be a fascinating juvenile contest.