A classy line-up of fillies and mares will face off in Saturday’s Tattersall’s Tiara 2014, the current favourite of which is the Gai Waterhouse-trained Cosmic Endeavour.
Cosmic Endeavour has opened favourite for Saturday's Tattersall's Tiara 2014. Photo: Daniel Costello.
Two weeks back on Stradbroke Handicap Day at Eagle Farm Waterhouse’s Northern Meteor filly Cosmic Endeavour ran the ideal Tiara lead-up with a win in the Group 2 Dane Ripper Stakes (1400m).
The three-year-old now returns to the same track and distance this weekend for a shot at the $500,000 Group 1 Sky Racing Tattersall’s Tiara where she’ll attempt her third straight win.
Her Dane Ripper jockey Tommy Berry is back over from Hong Kong again to maintain his association with her as Cosmic Endeavour looks to become the second horse in as many years to complete the Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival double after Red Tracer did 12 months ago.
She’s got the right form, is unbeaten at the distance, Berry is in the saddle and Cosmic Endeavour also drew ideally with barrier five for Saturday.
The bookies have reacted to all of that accordingly then installing her as the current $5 favourite in Tattersall’s Tiara betting.
It’s a close affair in the season’s final Group 1 down under however with three of her remaining 15 rivals hot on her heels.
Two mares sit as equal $5.50 second favourites in the Tattersall’s Tiara odds with the reigning champ Red Tracer and fellow Group 1 winner Steps In Time.
They’ve drawn at opposite ends of the field however with Chris Waller’s Dane Shadow six-year-old Red Tracer out wide in barrier 14 and the Joe Pride-trained Steps In Time, to be retired post-Tiara, in two.
Last year Red Tracer overcame the outside barrier 16 draw to win and so will be looking to pull out a similar run here.
She’s also looking to improve on her disappointing 10th in the Stradbroke Handicap last start.
Jim Cassidy’s mount Steps In Time is also out to bounce back on her Tiara lead-up, the Danehill Dancer six-year-old having finished second last when 13th in the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes (1200m).
She didn’t handle the wet Randwick track that day in April though and Pride is confident she’ll be able to finish much better in the Tiara before she heads to the breeding barn.
Rounding out the single figure chances at $6 is then another of Waller’s three hopes, Catkins.
Runner-up to Red Tracer in the Myer Classic last spring, the four-year-old Dubawi grey has drawn the inside alley for the weekend and races for the first time since her sixth in the Queen Of The Turf back in April.
She missed the Dane Ripper but hasn’t missed any work giving Waller back a bit of confidence she can rise to the challenge here over the 1400m that she last saw in March when winning a Group 3 at Warwick Farm.
The next best in betting are then Waterhouse’s other runner Driefontein ($10) coming off a second in the Dane Ripper, John Thompson’s Dane Ripper fourth placed Husson mare Peron ($15), June Stakes winner last start in Sydney Avoid Lighting ($16) after her third straight victory and the Darren Weir-trained Lonhspresso ($19).
The table below has the full Tattersall’s Tiara 2014 fixed win odds open now at Ladbrokes.com.au complete with links so you can back your favourites now at the best price before markets firm ahead of the weekend.
