She was scratched from the G2 Silver Shadow Stakes to avoid the wet track and although there is every chance we’ll be faced with the similar conditions again come Saturday’s Furious Stakes, punters haven’t shied away from champion filly Earthquake. She’ll make her long awaited return to racing this Saturday as the early odds-on favourite and be looking to take her record to five wins from six starts. Fellow Group 1 winner Peggy Jean also resumes from a spell and won’t mind the rain continuing to fall, she’s the second elect at $4.80. Earthquake’s stable-mate Memorial is $7.00 just in advance of Chris Waller’s sole representative Winx at $7.50.

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Furious Stakes 2014 Field:

1. EARTHQUAKE – K McEvoy (3)

Last season’s champion filly was withdrawn from her scheduled return in last fortnight’s Silver Shadow Stakes due to the heavy conditions. She hasn’t bee seen at the trials before or since the Silver Shadow but her record as 2yo deems she be rated on top here. The Exceed And Excel filly has met stable-mate Memorial, who ran second in the Silver Shadow Stakes, and defeated her convincingly on both occasions.

2. PEGGY JEAN – B Shinn (4)

The Group 1 winner of the Sire’s Produce Stakes is set to make her return to racing off a nineteen week spell and looked in a recent trail, running second under a hold to Longma. First up last campaign the Myboycharlie filly finished strongly over the 1200m of the G2 Magic Night Stakes to finish a neck second behind Bring Me The Maid. Enjoys racing on soft conditions and can expect her to be finishing hard here.

3. MEMORIAL – J McDonald (2)

After winning her first two career starts at the end of the last year, more was expected from this regally bred Street Cry filly during her autumn campaign, the highlight of which was a second to Alpha Miss in the Listed Lonhro Plate. She returned from a winter spell with a pleasing fashion however, running second (1.5 lengths) to Bring Me The Maid in the Silver Shadow Stakes, finding that talented mare a shade to strong over the final stages.
That run will see her fitter for this and capable of being heavily involved in the finish again.

4. ALPHA MISS – J Collett (4)

Found a nice spot in transit when resuming in the G2 Silver Slipper Stakes but was unable to take advantage of her run on the heavy track, battling to hold her position in the run home and finishing fourth of six (4.4 lengths) That was her second poor run on a heavy track and given her form last campaign, which includes a win over Memorial at Listed level and a third placing in the G2 Riesling Stakes to Earthquake; she can be an improver on a firmer surface.

5. WINX – J Bowman (7)

Street Cry filly that made a very good impression in winning both of her starts to date in good fashion. Settling off the pace in each start, the Chris Waller trainer filly rounded up her opponents to win a Restricted and Open Class race by margins of ¾ and a 1 ½ lengths respectively. She trialled a fortnight ago, running a solid third (4 ¾ lengths) behind Longma and Peggy Jean, finishing the hit-out under a good hold.

6. SULTRY FEELING – T Angland (6)

Only win from her first four starts came at Wyong but she did show her potential with a third to Bring Me The Maid in the Magic Night Stake and a close up seventh to Eloping and Ygritte in the G3 Royal Randwick Stakes. Looks set to fulfil that promise judging by her convincing first up win at Canterbury recently, where she joined the leaders in strong manner on the turn before powering away to comfortably win the BM 73 (1100m) race. Stable are going very well at the moment and the first up effort was good preparation for this.

7. SAILING PAST – (1)

Warwick Farm trainer John Sargant has had plenty of time to get a gauge on this O’Reilly filly who had her first trial in November last year, followed by another in February and in the past month, two more. Sargant has elected to start her off in a quality race and given her breeding, she is by an unraced Hurricane Sky mare Tropical Beat who has two to the races for one winner – Ziggies Dance, a Class 3 winner in Queensland, she’ll have to be ultra smart to win this race on debut.

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RACE OVERVIEW

Earthquake should take up a forward position here from gate three as on paper, there doesn’t seem to be an abundance of speed. If she reproduces anything like her 2yo form, she should be winning this but mindful that first up on heavy track, they’ll only want her to do what she has to for the win. Memorial was good first up behind a smart galloper who had form around Earthquake and should secure a nice run from gate 2. Liked the way Sultry Feeling went about her win at Canterbury at a midweek meeting and would expect her to be hitting the line well wider out.

1. EARTHQUAKE
2. MEMORIAL
3. SULTRY FEELING
4. PEGGY JEAN

Odds/Results:

News:

Strong winds grounded owner John Singleton’s helicopter but they couldn’t stop his colt This Is Australia from making a flying start to his racetrack career at Canterbury on Wednesday.

A half-brother to Group One-winning stallion All American, This Is Australia defied all efforts to run him down in the Mossman @ Vinery Handicap (1100m).

Jim Cassidy’s first ride after a winter freshen up, This Is Australia has been earmarked for bigger races after growing problems kept him away from the racetrack as a juvenile.

Trainer Clarry Conners was relieved to see the three-year-old get the job done on debut and doesn’t plan to wait long to test his theory This Is Australia is capable of winning better races.

“I’ve tried to downgrade him a little bit because I do have a great opinion of him,” Conners said.

“We’ll keep him to sprinting and the Coolmore Stud Stakes is his aim.”

This Is Australia will run next in the Listed Heritage Stakes at Randwick is likely to have one more start in Sydney before heading to Melbourne to join stablemate Dear Demi who is on the Caulfield Cup trail.

Conners has had many outstanding horses, including Pins and Encounter who he moulded into stallions, and admits he is excited by the challenge of doing likewise with This Is Australia.

“I know his potential and what he’s worth to John (Singleton) if he keeps going. He’s worth a lot of money,” Conners said.

“It’s my job to make a stallion of him.”

Singleton, who is based on the NSW central coast, had hoped to be at Canterbury but his racing manager Duncan Grimley said the blustery conditions had put paid to his plans to fly to the races.

This Is Australia was a drifter in betting but late support ensured he started a $2.90 favourite.

He staved off the fast-finishing Avonaco by a long head with Magwitch another short neck away third.