A top field of three-year-old milers have been accepted for the $125,000 Group 3 Carbine Club Stakes (1600m) on Saturday, one of the nine Group status showdowns scheduled for Randwick’s AJC Australian Derby Day in 2011.
The feature race at Randwick on Saturday is the $1.5 million Group 1 AJC Australian Derby (2400m), one of the richest races for three-year-olds in the country.
For horses this age not quite suited to the testing 2400m of the Derby, the 2011 Carbine Club Stakes is a popular option and this year has drawn a final field of 13.
Top-rated Carbine Club Stakes entry is the Peter Snowden-trained Divorces.
The Domesday filly is second-up for the season having run a game third to Do Ra Mi in the Group 2 Kewney Stakes (1400m) when resuming at Flemington on March 12.
In the Kewney Divorces jumped from barrier 11 and she has drawn the same gate for Saturday but will still start one of the favourites as she should get a better run here having struck interference in the Kewney.
There are six last-start winners in the 2011 Carbine Club Stakes field including the Bart Cummings-trained Kudakulari and Lee Freedman’s The Ruffian.
Savabeel gelding Kudakulari won the Listed Canberra Guineas (1400m) first up for the season on March 13 and will be hoping to bring this winning form to Sydney on Saturday when they jump from the ideal barrier four with Corey Brown in the mount.
The Ruffian has also drawn nicely with gate six, the Lonhro gelding due to be ridden by Hugh Bowman as they seek back-to-back wins for the season having won over 1400m at Albury carrying a hefty 59.5kg last start.
Other Carbine Club Stakes hopefuls coming into the race off the back of some nice recent form include the Gai Waterhouse-trained Needs Further (barrier 10) looking for three on the trot, John Thompson’s Encosta De Lago filly Potions (barrier three) and the David Payne-trained Diamond Jim (barrier five).
The 2011 Jim Beam Carbine Club Stakes is the second Randwick race on Saturday and is due to jumps at 12:30pm (AEST).
2011 Jim Bean Carbine Club Stakes Final Field & Barrier Draw
| # | Form (Last 10) | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Hcp. Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8X067060X1 | KUDAKULARI (NZ) | Bart Cummings | Corey Brown | 4 | 57.5kg | 85 |
| 2 | 4X419X8054 | SHADOWS IN THE SUN | Anthony Cummings | Craig Williams | 12 | 56kg | 81 |
| 3 | 53X21080X3 | DIVORCES | Peter Snowden | – | 11 | 55.5kg | 93 |
| 4 | 13X242X525 | HAPPY TRAILS | Paul Beshara | Damien Oliver | 2 | 55kg | 80 |
| 5 | 217427X321 | CIRCLE OF POWER | Rod Craig | Glen Boss | 1 | 55kg | 76 |
| 6 | X29860X321 | THE RUFFIAN | Lee Freedman | Hugh Bowman | 6 | 55kg | 75 |
| 7 | 3X11 | NEEDS FURTHER | Gai Waterhouse | Nash Rawiller | 10 | 55kg | 73 |
| 8 | 08X6411427 | DIAMOND JIM | David Payne | – | 5 | 55kg | 69 |
| 9 | 2100X475 | QUARTERBAR | Michael Moroney | Glyn Schofield | 8 | 55kg | 64 |
| 10 | 3X571 | RIVA DE LAGO | Con Karakatsanis | – | 13 | 55kg | 62 |
| 11 | 539X451 | POTIONS | John P Thompson | Jim Cassidy | 3 | 53kg | 73 |
| 12 | 36X120 | MONEY TREE | Kevin Moses | – | 9 | 53kg | 66 |
| 13 | 97056X42 | SONG SHAN | Anthony Cummings | Tim Clark | 7 | 53kg | 63 |
