| Race 6 – 4:30PM VILLIERS STAKES (1550 METRES) |
|---|
| Of $175,000.1st $105,000, 2nd $35,000, 3rd $17,500, 4th $8,750, 5th $3,500, 6th $1,750, 7th $1,750, 8th $1,750, Starter Subsidy $200 GROUP 2 Quality, Minimum Weight 53kg, Three-Years-Old and Upwards, Apprentices cannot claim.Field Limit: 14 + 4 EM |
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| No | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | COUP AY TEE (NZ) | Chris Waller | Jason Collett | 5 | 59kg | |||
| 2 | WESTERN SYMBOL (NZ) | Gai Waterhouse | Tommy Berry | 13 | 59kg | |||
| 3 | ALMA’S FURY | Paul Murray | Blake Shinn | 4 | 58kg | |||
| 4 | DESTINY’S KISS | Joseph Pride | Christian Reith | 7 | 56kg | |||
| 5 | SAID COM (NZ) | Chris Waller | Hugh Bowman | 2 | 55.5kg | |||
| 6 | MONTON | Ron Quinton | 1 | 55kg | ||||
| 7 | STRIKE THE STARS (NZ) | Anthony Cummings | Glyn Schofield | 6 | 55kg | |||
| 8 | NINTH LEGION | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | Peter Robl | 11 | 54.5kg | |||
| 9 | SCREAM MACHINE | Jason Coyle | Adam Hyeronimus | 14 | 54.5kg | |||
| 10 | LISTEN SON | Tony Gollan | Ms Kathy O’Hara | 3 | 54kg | |||
| 11 | SYSMO (FR) | Tony McEvoy | James McDonald | 9 | 54kg | |||
| 12 | TAXMEIFYOUCAN | Gregory Hickman | Tim Clark | 8 | 53kg | |||
| 13 | LIMES | Peter Snowden | 10 | 53kg | ||||
| 14 | ABSALON | Sam Kavanagh | Brenton Avdulla | 12 | 53kg |
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In The News:
Go-ahead trainer Sam Kavanagh may have to bow to prominent owner Gerry Harvey’s wishes and pass up an opportunity to win his first Sydney stakes race on Saturday.
Kavanagh was hoping to start Absalon in the $175,000 Villiers Stakes at Randwick despite a wide barrier but after Wednesday acceptances, Harvey is leaning towards running the sprinter-miler in the Listed Brisbane Handicap at Doomben.
The trainer said Harvey was keen for the galloper to return to Doomben where he made it two wins on end when he won the Recognition Stakes at his most recent start.
Absalon is a $26 Villiers chance but will be one of the favourites at Doomben and a final decision is expected to be made on Wednesday night.
Either way, Kavanagh said he would be armed with plenty of data on Absalon’s rivals.
“I don’t have a lot of horses in my stable and I’ve got to make sure they are competitive wherever they run so I do a lot of work on form and try to understand my opposition,” Kavanagh said.
“I find it makes a difference, not only in being able to place your horses but also in helping to explain the race to your clients and they like the fact they know you are putting in that extra effort for them.”
Kavanagh is making his way in Sydney after opening a Rosehill stable earlier this year and the fact clients of Harvey’s calibre are backing the young trainer says a lot for his future.
Absalon has gate 12 in a field of 14 – the maximum number of horses which can be catered for at the Kensington track’s 1550-metre start.
“If he drew a gate in the Villiers I would be confident he could get into the money but the wide gate concerns me a bit,” Kavanagh said.
“But in Brisbane he does look hard to beat even though there’s a bit of a weight turnaround with a horse like Fillydelphia.”
The Tony McEvoy-trained Sysmo heads first Villiers markets at $6 ahead of Ninth Legion ($7.50).
Sysmo hasn’t raced for five weeks and has recovered from a minor setback to take his place in the Group Two race.
Third elect Coup Ay Tee ($8) returns to Sydney after finishing unplaced in the Coupland’s Mile at Riccarton last month.
He shares topweight of 59kg with comeback galloper Western Symbol and has fared well at the draw with gate five.
Coup Ay Tee is one of two runners for Chris Waller with Said Com rated a genuine threat after finishing off stylishly in the Festival Stakes.
