Peter Snowden’s Sires Produce Stakes winning filly Guelph heads a quality field of fellow two-year-olds set to face off in this Saturday’s 2013 Champagne Stakes at Royal Randwick for Sydney Cup Day.
Guleph vies for the Sires Produce - Champagne Stakes 2013 double on Saturday. Photo: Race Horse Photos Australia.
The flying daughter of Exceed And Excel caught the eye when fourth to Overreach in the iconic Golden Slipper at the start of the month before backing up just seven days later to turn the tables on the Slipper winner and score a nice win in the Group 1 Sires Produce Stakes (1400m).
She returns to Randwick again this weekend looking to complete a double achieved 12 months ago by Triple Crown winning colt Pierro when she jumps the short-priced favourite in the $400,000 Group 1 Moet & Chandon 150th Champagne Stakes (1600m).
Scheduled to run as Randwick Race 5 at 2:55pm (AEST) as one of three Group 1 highlights on the card, this year’s Champagne Stakes field has drawn 14 starters with Guelph drawn ideally in barrier six.
Also coming via a run in the ATC Sires Produce are the likes of Scandiva (2nd) and the fourth-placed Danehill Dancer colt Drago two of three Champagne Stakes acceptors for Anthony Cummings along with Diva Dee who has drawn awkwardly in gate 13.
Fastnet Rock filly Scandiva also enjoyed back-to-back Sydney wins before her second in the Sires Produce including a Group 2 victory in the Magic Night Stakes at Rosehill making her one of the biggest dangers to Guelph on Saturday.
Another previous Group winner in the mix is David Payne’s Sebring colt Criterion.
A winner of three of their first four starts they enjoyed their first stakes success in Canberra last month winning the Black Opal Stakes before their good win in the Group 2 Todman Stakes (1200m) leading into their credible Golden Slipper sixth.
Todman Stakes runner-up Fast ‘N’ Rocking is also set to run on Saturday, David Hayes’ promising colt second to Miracles Of Life back in February’s Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield and also a good fifth in the Sipper last time out.
Other notable hopes out for an upset in the Champagne then include Bjorn Baker’s Snippetson colt Fuerza who was third in the Pago Pago Stakes earlier in the autumn, last weekend’s Fernhill Handicap winner over the Randwick mile in the mud Riocetto, and the undefeated Gai Waterhouse-trained gelding Equator after their third win from as many career starts after victories at Kembla Grange and Cantebury.
Check out the complete 2013 Champagne Stakes field, barriers, jockeys and weights in the table below.
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2013 Champagne Stakes Final Field & Barrier Draw
Royal Randwick Race 5 – 2:55pm (AEST) – 27/04/2013
| # | Form (Last 10) | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Br. | Wgt. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 341 | RIOCETTO | Neville & Christopher Voigt | Brenton Avdulla | 7 | 56.5kg |
| 2 | 1×3116 | CRITERION (NZ) | David Payne | Hugh Bowman | 8 | 56.5kg |
| 3 | 7×44225 | FAST ’N’ ROCKING | David Hayes | Steven Arnold | 1 | 56.5kg |
| 4 | 224372 | FUERZA | Bjorn Baker | Jim Cassidy | 12 | 56.5kg |
| 5 | 1×3486 | CHARLIE BOY | Gerald Ryan | Christian Reith | 10 | 56.5kg |
| 6 | 8×3017 | CHAMPOLLION | Peter Snowden | – | 11 | 56.5kg |
| 7 | 738 | HAVANA | Paul Messara | Craig Williams | 4 | 56.5kg |
| 8 | 11 | EQUATOR | Gai Waterhouse | Nash Rawiller | 9 | 56.5kg |
| 9 | 64 | DRAGO | Anthony Cummings | Michael Rodd | 14 | 56.5kg |
| 10 | 3×9508 | STAR WARS (NZ) | Scott Aspery | Ms Kathy O’Hara | 2 | 56.5kg |
| 11 | 2×11941 | GUELPH | Peter Snowden | – | 6 | 54.5kg |
| 12 | 5×6112 | SCANDIVA | Anthony Cummings | Peter Robl | 5 | 54.5kg |
| 13 | 24×3495 | DIVA DEE | Anthony Cummings | Dwayne Dunn | 13 | 54.5kg |
| 14 | 3×925 | SHAHAD | Gai Waterhouse | Tommy Berry | 3 | 54.5kg |
