Horse Racing

This Saturday the Melbourne Spring Carnival comes to a close at Sandown Racecourse with a bumper day’s racing featuring four Group showdowns including the 2011 Sandown Guineas where the Peter Snowden-trained Galah could shoot for their fifth straight win.

Galah will shoot for their fifth straight win in the Sandown Guineas 2011 this Saturday

There were 21 three-year-olds nominated for the $350,000 Group 2 Sandown Guineas (1600m) this year, the highest-rated of which is Redoute’s Choice colt Galah.

Undefeated this season, Galah has racked up two black-type titles having won the Listed Australia Stakes (1400m) on Caulfield Cup Day as well as their gritty last-start victory in the Group 3 Inglis Carbine Club Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on Derby Day.

Galah is one of two Sandown Guineas entries for Snowden this year along with consistent Lonhro gelding Mental.

Snowden has had a successful association with the race in recent years having won two on the trot with Caymans in 2008 and Kidnapped in 2009 before his second to Pressday with Chasse last year.

Along with Galah there are six other last-start winners among the Sandown Guineas 2011 nominations including the Matthew Smith-trained General Nediym filly Combat Kitty who won the Listed Lexus Hybrid Plate (1400m) at Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day and Mick Price’s Exceed And Excel colt Instinction who took out the Listed Hilton Hotels Stakes (1400m) last Saturday.

Other notable three-year-olds entered for the Sandown Guineas on Saturday include Peter Moorgan’s consistent Fastnet Rock gelding Amah Rock coming off a third to Instinction from Emirates Stakes Day, Hilton Hotels Stakes runner-up Mahisara from the Scone stables of Paul Messara and the Peter Moody-trained Highly Recommended who finished a close second to Galah in the Carbine Club Stakes.

The Sandown Guineas runs as one of two Group 2 features on Saturday along with the $350,000 Group 2 Zipping Classic (2400m) where Americain will look to emulate four-time hero Zipping from 12 months ago in winning the showdown on the back of a Melbourne Cup fourth place finish.

Final fields for all of the Sandown features this weekend will be released on Wednesday and published right here at Races.com.au.

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2011 Sandown Guineas Nominations