This Saturday at Scone Racecourse on the second day of the Scone Cup Carnival Sydney’s Gai Waterhouse will saddle-up a quartet of chances in the meeting’s richest race, the Inglis Scone Guineas 2014.
Cosmic Endeavour is the shortest priced of Waterhouse's four 2014 Inglis Scone Guineas hopefuls. Photo: Steve Hart.
After running The Great Snowman in the Scone Cup on Friday, Waterhouse will have a very strong hand across the Saturday races as well including four in the $400,000 Inglis 3YO Guineas (1400m).
The Hawkes-trained Hawkesbury Guineas winner Chautauqua ($2.80) currently leads Inglis Scone Guineas betting, but one of Waterhouse’s representatives is hot on their heels at $3.60.
That is Northern Meteor filly Cosmic Endeavour who has their work cut out for them drawing out wide in barrier 15 (into 13) in the capacity 16 starter field.
She’s been in flying form this prep with her last three runs all producing a top three finish at Group level.
It started at Randwick on April 12 in the wet when runner-up behind Politeness in the Group 3 PJ Bell Stakes (1200m) before she returned to the track the following Saturday to win the Group 2 Sapphire Stakes (1200m).
Last start she went to Hawkesbury on May 3 and was far from disgraced when only a length away third behind Aerobatics (1st) and Plucky Belle (2nd) in the Group 3 The Darley Crown (1300m).
She’s up in distance then for the Inglis Guineas, but Waterhouse is confident she can handle it.
The next best fancied of Waterhouse’s Guineas hopes for Saturday is then Woodbine ($9) in gate 12.
The Hussonet colt has won three of their eight starts to date, but none since February 1st at Rosehill.
Their most recent effort however was against a much tougher field of rivals when they took them on in the Group 1 All Aged Stakes (1400m) on April 26 to finish seventh behind Hana’s Goal.
It’s an effort Waterhouse is sure they’ll improve on when back down in class against their own age here, the master trainer actually backing him over Cosmic Endeavour for the win.
“Woodbine is the pick of mine, he’s coming out of a Group 1 race back to his own age,” Waterhouse told The Daily Telegraph.
“But Cosmic Endeavour is a very good filly and I think she can overcome the wide barrier.”
Waterhouse’s other two chances for an upset Inglis Scone Guineas result this year are then Redoute’s Choice colt Liberty’s Choice ($18) and Ryker ($26) coming off a fifth in the Hawkesbury Guineas.
“I’m not ruling out Liberty’s Choice and Ryker, either. They are both very fit,” Waterhouse added.
Waterhouse’s other major player on the weekend in New South Wales meanwhile is Miss Stellabelle who jumps second favourite in the $200,000 Group 3 Dark Jewel Classic (1400m).
She was third in the race last year and also comes off another top performance when third behind fellow Dark Jewel hopeful Aerobatics in the Group 3 The Darley Crown (1300m) on Hawkesbury Cup Day.
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