This Saturday at Royal Randwick an intriguing field of three-year-old sprinters, many heading towards the Melbourne Cup Carnival’s Coolmore Stud Stakes, will face off in the Heritage Stakes 2013.
Va Pensiero (inside) vies for their third straight win in Saturday's Heritage Stakes. Photo: Steve Hart.
Running as the third on George Main Stakes Day, the $100,000 Listed Schweppes Heritage Stakes (1100m) has attracted a final field of nine hopes led by the Jason Coyle-trained Va Pensiero.
While many of the season’s top three-year-olds ran in the $1 million Group 1 Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) with an eye on a Melbourne trip next month for the $1 million Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m), those displaying superior sprinting potential have been saved for this run.
Coming off back-to-back wins this time in, Stratum colt Va Pensiero has recently put to shame a number of the top Rose and Guineas contenders with their victories in the Group 3 San Domenico Stakes (1100m) and Group 3 Run To The Rose (1200m).
In The Run To The Rose on August 31 Va Pensiero defeated the likes of Zoustar (4th) and Dissident (2nd) and who went on to run the Golden Rose quinella adding value to the form of that race.
Now it’s Va Pensiero’s turn, the youngster on trial for their own trip across the border for the $500,000 Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on Saturday November 2.
The other last-start winner in the Heritage Stakes this year is then John O’Shea’s in-form Lonhro colt Diamond Oasis who won over 1100m at Rosehill last Saturday.
Gary Portelli’s son of Startum I’m All The Talk meanwhile is the other more notable Coolmore Stud Stakes bound galloper taking on Va Pensiero on Saturday.
Winner of the Group 3 Skyline Stakes (1200m) back in March before their disappointing 10th in the Golden Slipper, I’m All The Talk resumed with a good fourth to Decision Time in the Group 3 Concorde Stakes (1000m) at Randwick on September 7.
Other promising runners in the mix then include the Gerald Ryan-trained Mossman colt Dothraki racing for the first time since their dead last in the Slipper and the untapped Barbed for Peter Snowden who won their sole start to date at Canterbury back in May.
Get behind your favourite three-year-olds for the Coolmore or the Guineas over the coming weeks online at Ladbrokes.com.au and bet with confidence knowing you’re getting the most bang for your betting buck with this trusted sportsbook!
2013 Heritage Stakes Final Field & Barrier Draw
Rosehill Race 3 – 1:55pm (AEST) – 21/09/2013
| # | Form (Last 10) | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Br. | Wgt. | Hcp. Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0x1290x11 | VA PENSIERO | Jason Coyle | Nathan Berry | 7 | 58.5kg | 92 |
| 2 | 31x2410x4 | I’M ALL THE TALK | Gary Portelli | Brenton Avdulla | 2 | 58kg | 88 |
| 3 | 1x210x7 | WHITTINGTON | Gai Waterhouse | Tommy Berry | 5 | 57.5kg | 82 |
| 4 | 1x106x54 | NEVER CAN TELL | Anthony Cummings | Peter Robl | 8 | 57.5kg | 78 |
| 5 | 51x320x | DOTHRAKI | Gerald Ryan | Glyn Schofield | 3 | 56kg | 80 |
| 6 | 1433×71 | DIAMOND OASIS | John O’Shea | Nicholas Hall | 4 | 56kg | 79 |
| 7 | 7388x | HAVANA | Paul Messara | Jim Cassidy | 1 | 56kg | 74 |
| 8 | 1x | BARBED | Peter Snowden | Hugh Bowman | 9 | 56kg | 67 |
| 9 | 183 | WONDERBOLT | Anthony Cummings | Blake Shinn | 6 | 56kg | 62 |
