Derby victor Green Spaces is not expected to contend with the likes of Autumn Glow in the Winx Stakes, but the race is set to be a significant platform for his spring campaign.
This Group 1 event represents the entire’s initial foray into open company, and jockey Rachel King highlights it as a crucial transition from his three-year-old racing career.
“You never know how these three-year-olds are going to come back into their four-year-old year, but he has definitely grown. He’s taller again, and he’s filled out again,” King stated. “He’s got that cool attitude as well. He’s a proper dude, so I’m looking forward to seeing where he’s at. Obviously, it’s way short of his best distance-wise, but it will be a good starting point to kick him off and see where he’s at.”
Having won Newcastle’s Spring Stakes (1600m) last year, Green Spaces faced the elite of his age group in the autumn, excelling when stepped up to middle distances and beyond.
He finished runner-up to Autumn Boy in the Rosehill Guineas (2000m) before delivering a commanding performance to win the ATC Australian Derby (2400m) prior to being spelled.
While Green Spaces proved his stamina at three, King does not consider him to be one-dimensional.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s more like a 2000 metre horse, and I can see him being competitive at a mile to 2000,” she said. “He’s not a slog. He’s got some gears about him, and he did win a Newcastle Stakes over a mile, so he has got a bit of speed there. He’s also a very relaxed customer, so it gives us options.”
Green Spaces is set to start from the outside alley, 14, in Saturday’s Winx Stakes (1400m) at Randwick. The field includes star mares Autumn Glow (barrier three) and Aeliana (barrier 11), as well as Sheza Alibi, trained by Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman, who has drawn gate one.
Although lofty expectations are not placed on Green Spaces for this weekend, King indicated that connections are eager to see him finishing strongly.
“We’ll be happy to let him go to sleep and just hit the line, similar to how I trialled him,” King commented. “First trial he was a little bit fresh and wanted to be there. Second trial he came out, put his head down, and went to sleep like he does. He built up nicely, and his best furlong was after the post. First-up would be something similar.”
For those tracking the race, checking out the racing odds will give you a clear picture of the contenders.
