One of six Group races on the Randwick program for Saturday, this year’s 2014 Hall Mark Stakes fieldfeatures a diminutive seven final acceptors.
Hot Snitzel is the headline acceptor in a small 2014 Hall Mark Stakes field for Saturday. Photo: Steve Hart.
Kicking off the Black Type racing action in Sydney this weekend, the $150,000 Group 2 Ticketek Hall Mark Stakes (1200m) runs as Randwick Race 2 at 1:05pm (AEST).
Heading the field and weights with 59kg is the Gerald Ryan-trained Hot Snitzel with the rails run from barrier one.
The Snitzel gelding is sure to jump favourite in the Hall Mark Stakes markets after their gun draw and their solid last start effort in the Group 3 Sebring Stakes (1200m) from April 5.
In the Sebring Hot Snitzel was defeated just a long neck by Flamberge in a solid effort in the wet first-up when unsuccessfully defending their title.
They won last year’s Sebring second-up though and so should be ready to go two runs in again this weekend especially against such a small field.
The other Hall Mark hopeful coming off some ace autumn form then is the Peter Snowden-trained Knoydart in gate six.
The More Than Ready four-year-old enjoyed three successive summer wins from December to February, including two Listed features, before stepping up to Group 1 company for their brave third behind Lankan Rupee in the Oakleigh Plate.
They were third again behind the same star galloper in the Newmarket Handicap on March 8 and so will reslish a step back in class here against a much easier field.
Snowden has also accepted for Emblems who returns to racing here having last won the Listed Takeover Target Stakes (1200m) at Gosford on January 10.
That was the up-and-coming Shamardal four-year-olds’ third straight win and they will be looking to kick things off in a similar vein and make it four on the trot in the Hall Mark.
Joe Pride is another trainer with dual Hall Mark Stakes acceptors this year.
He will saddle-up seven-year-old See The World coming off a credible fifth to Lankan Rupee in the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) as a $41 outsider from a fortnight ago and That’s A Good Idea drawn beside each other in barriers five and four respectively.
Rounding out the Hall Mark Stakes 2014 field are then the Lionel Cohen-trained TJ Smith Stakes failure (15th of 15) Aeronautical in gate two for Tommy Berry and Star Of Octagonal in the outside barrier as they run for the first time since July last year.
The full Hall Mark Stakes 2014 field, barriers, jockeys and set weights are detailed below.
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2014 Hall Mark Stakes Final Field & Barrier Draw
Randwick Race 2 – 1:05pm (AEST) – 26/04/2014
| # | Form (Last 10) | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Hcp. Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1076x902x2 | HOT SNITZEL | Gerald Ryan | Hugh Bowman | 1 | 59kg | 105 |
| 2 | 330718×275 | SEE THE WORLD | Joseph Pride | Christian Reith | 5 | 57.5kg | 104 |
| 3 | 3130×11133 | KNOYDART | Peter Snowden | TBA | 6 | 57.5kg | 103 |
| 4 | 60x29x1x90 | AERONAUTICAL | Lionel Cohen | Tommy Berry | 2 | 57kg | 104 |
| 5 | 3215x0697x | STAR OF OCTAGONAL | Aleacia Bennett | TBA | 7 | 57kg | 96 |
| 6 | 1543x5111x | EMBLEMS | Peter Snowden | TBA | 3 | 57kg | 94 |
| 7 | 11511×4339 | THAT’S A GOOD IDEA | Joseph Pride | Glyn Schofield | 4 | 56kg | 95 |
