Horse Racing

Today Racing NSW released the acceptances for all the major Rosehill races this Saturday, including the 2011 George Main Stakes which has lost one of its drawcard nominees, My Kingdom Of Fife.

My Kingdom Of Fife will be saved for the Craven Plate next month

Winner of the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes in the autumn, Kingmambo six-year-old My Kingdom Of Fife resumed for the season with a brilliant first-up second behind Trusting in the Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) and had been nominated to race again at Rosehill’s George Main Stakes Day 2011.

Trainer Chris Waller had paid the nomination fee for My Kingdom Of Fife in both the $350,000 Group 1 George Main Stakes (1500m) and the $200,000 Group 2 Hill Stakes (2000m).

The decision has since been made, however, to save the major Melbourne Spring Carnival contender until next month’s $125,000 Group 3 Craven Plate (2000m) at Royal Randwick on Epsom Handicap Day, October 1.

“I’m going to wait with him and he won’t run now until the Craven Plate at Randwick on Epsom Day,” Waller confirmed on Wednesday.

“He’ll be a very fit horse for the Craven Plate.”

Waller also said connections had finally decided that the $3 million Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 22 would be the grand aim for My Kingdom Of Fife this spring, and not the $2.5 million Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) the fortnight before.

“We’ve decided to target the Cox Plate,” Waller said.

“It will be three weeks from the Craven Plate to the Cox Plate which is ideal.

“Importantly it will be his third run back, which I think will be his best run.”

Cox Plate 2011 odds at Luxbet currently have My Kingdom Of Fife rated a $26 chance, and despite the former Queen-owned import having had no runs in Victoria to date, Waller said come Cox Plate Day they will have given the horse plenty of chances to get accustomed to the notoriously tight Moonee Valley course.

“He’s raced seven times in Europe left-handed,” Waller said of My Kingdom Of Fife.

“But we’ll get him down there (to Melbourne) in plenty of time to give him two or three gallops at Moonee Valley which should have him ready to go.”

Along with My Kingdom Of Fife, six other horses from nomination stage dropped out of George Main Stakes contention.

Scheduled to run as Rosehill Race 5 this Saturday, the 2011 George Main Stakes final field attracted a total of eight gallopers lead by this year’s Stradbroke Handicap hero, the fellow Cox Plate-bound Sincero.

Drawn in the extreme outside barrier, the Stephen Farley-trained Sincero is looking to go back-to-back for the season following their gritty first-up win in the Group 3 Tramway Handicap (1400m) at Warwick Farm on September 3.

Other major players in the feature include reigning Doncaster Mile winner Sacred Choice (barrier four), Con Karakatsanis’ veteran sprinter Black Piranha (barrier three) and the Grahame Begg-trained Randwick Guineas champion Ilovethiscity (barrier six) who is looking to bounce back after running only fairly to finish eighth last Saturday in the Group 2 Sebring Sprint (1300m).

View the 2011 George Main Stakes field and barrier draw below, and stay tuned to Races.com.au as we publish a more detailed George Main Stakes race and betting preview.

In the meantime, get ready for the Saturday racing action by signing up with Luxbet and getting a bonus $400 bet simply by making your first deposit with Australia’s favourite online bookmaker and quoting the promo code BONUSBET.

2011 George Main Stakes Field & Barriers