Last year’s winning trainer Chris Waller is likely to saddle-up three horses in Saturday’s Sydney Cup 2016 field as he chases back-to-back success in the two mile classic at Royal Randwick on Day 2 of ‘The Championships’.
Who Shot Thebarman leads Chris Waller’s 2016 Sydney Cup trio for Royal Randwick this Saturday. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
Waller is on fire again this Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival, the highlight so far watching Winx overcome the weight and a weaving run to win the $3 million Group 1 Doncaster Mile (1600m) last Saturday.
The superstar daughter of Street Cry is now odds-on favourite to back-up on successive Saturday’s and take her record out to 10 straight wins in the $4 million Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m).
Waller also saddles-up the best three in betting for the $2 million Group 1 Schweppes Sydney Cup (3200m).
Sitting top of the futures Sydney Cup odds at Ladbrokes.com.au paying $3 for the win is last year’s runner-up Who Shot Thebarman, a 56kg hope who ran second to the stable’s other 2016 Queen Elizabeth Stakes player Preferment in the Group 1 The BMW (2400m) on March 26 at Rosehill.
The seven-year-old Yamanin Vital gelding has winning form over the 3200m having won the 2014 Auckland Cup back in New Zealand.
His other best performances over the distance include a third in the 2014 Melbourne Cup and the Sydney Cup second 12 months ago behind Grand Marshal.
Grand Marshal, who won as a $51 roughie last season, is back again in 2016 looking to become the first successive Sydney Cup winner since Tie The Knot (1998-99).
The now six-year-old son of Dansili did it on 52kg last autumn and is still well weighted win just 54kg for his title defence.
He also comes via The BMW, which last produced a Sydney Cup champion in Niwot (4th in 2012), having run a brave third in an all-Waller trifecta.
Grand Marshal is the current $4.60 third favourite with stablemate Libran ($4) the other top fancy and likely Waller runner this weekend following a narrow Group 2 Chairman’s Handicap (2600m) win on Doncaster Day.
The five-year-old Lawman import made it three Sydney wins on the trot in the Chairman’s carrying 58kg, and even with a two kilogram penalty for that win, gets into the capacity 20-starter Sydney Cup field with 54kg.
“He went to the beach this morning with Winx and at this stage we’ll have three runners in the Sydney Cup,” Waller said of Libran talking to The Daily Telegraph on Sunday.
The Chairman’s Handicap is historically the best Sydney Cup form guide to follow producing seven of the past eight winners with The Offer (2014) the last to complete the double Libran shoots for on Saturday.
The last of the Sydney Cup hopes under $10 for the win in the pre-field markets at $9 is the David Hayes & Tom Dabernig-trained Almoonqith (54.5kg), out to improve on a The BMW sixth.
The Dynaformer stallion has had three runs for one win over the two miles carrying 59kg to victory in the Listed Sandown Cup (3200m), defeating The Offer, in mid-November last spring.
See below for the current all-in Sydney Cup 2016 odds, your last chance to lock in these generous futures markets at Ladbrokes.com.au before final acceptances close on Tuesday morning!
