2023 PB Lawrence Stakes Results: Cox Plate Hope Mr Brightside Salutes First-Up
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Winx is the only one the punters want in the feature race at Royal Randwick this afternoon, Chris Waller’s mare dominating the Warwick Stakes 2016 betting markets.
Already the champion daughter of Street Cry has kept the field for this year’s $250,000 Group 2 Warwick Stakes (1400m) down to only seven runners and now her presence has the odds on all of her rivals drifting.
No punter is game to take on the six-time Group 1 winning five-year-old who is odds-on to post her tenth consecutive turf triumph in this afternoon’s weight-for-age clash.
Winx made history last spring with a record-breaking win in the Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) and went on to win a further three elite level races in Sydney over the autumn.
The latest was her ultra-impressive two length romp home in the Doncaster Mile at Randwick over 1600m on April 2.
Waller has brought on his stable star fitness-wise with two quiet Randwick trials where Hugh Bowman rode her to fourth on both occasions.
Her off-season preparation cannot be faulted according to Waller as Winx aims for her fifth win from six first-up runs in the Warwick Stakes.
Along with her stellar first-up record the mighty mare also boasts a strong Randwick track record (9-5-3-0) and plenty of winning form over the 1400m (4-2-1-0) despite the distance being short of her best.
The current Warwick Stakes odds at Ladbrokes.com.au reflect her dominance with Winx at $1.35 to get the job done from barrier four with Bowman in the saddle once again.
The prices on the rest of the field have all eased, including those for the Kris Lees-trained Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Lucia Valentina ($5.50 to $6) who takes on Winx for the first time from the inside alley.
The other runner under $10 is Rebel Dane ($8 out to $8.50) prepared by Gary Portelli and coming off a last start second on a Heavy (10) Randwick track in the Group 2 Missile Stakes (1200m).
Rebel Dane looks the value in barrier two, but his trainer admits they are likely running for second at best.
“We discussed tactics this morning and decided we can’t go out there trying to beat Winx,” Portelli told Racing Victoria on Friday.
“If she turns up in her usual form then there’s not a horse in Australia that can beat her, so why should we think we can?
“What we’ve got to do is give our horse every chance to try and be strong at the end and hopefully that’s good enough to run second.”
It is a similar opinion to that expressed by the Newcastle-based Lees, although he thinks his mare Lucia Valentina may be able to turn the tables on Winx later this season when getting out over more distance.
“Lucia Valentina has sprinted well in the past but that was in races like the Tramway Handicap when she had a genuine tempo,” he told The Daily Telegraph.
“She hasn’t been able to do that first-up in a weight-for-age race before but, in saying that, I am happy with how she is coming up for the spring.
“Her trials have been very good. She has looked sharp and keen. If she is close enough on the turn, we know she can run terrific closing sectionals so we are hoping she runs well today.”
Check out the latest Warwick Stakes 2016 betting market moves below before backing your trifecta selections online at Ladbrokes.com.au!
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