The scratching of champion mare Winx from this afternoon’s Chelmsford Stakes 2016 in Sydney has seen the odds on the remaining runners firm dramatically including those on the new odds-on favourite Prized Icon.
Prized Icon is the new odds-on favourite in a Winx-less 2016 Chelmsford Stakes field for this afternoon in Sydney. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
With a long spring ahead that will include a title defence in the Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) in October, Chris Waller opted not to push Winx too early by running her on a Heavy (9) track at Royal Randwick.
She is one of two gallopers withdrawn from the $250,000 Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) along with stablemate Spiritjim leaving just six runners in the weight-for-age clash.
Slashed from $7.50 to $1.95 in Chelmsford Stakes betting at Ladbrokes.com.au is the James Cummings-trained Prized Icon, a Group 1 winning youngster looking to break a notable drought for three-year-olds in the race.
No three-year-old has beaten the older gallopers in the Sydney Spring Racing Carnival feature since Mighty Kingdom (1979), but all the money is coming for Prized Icon to be the next.
As a two-year-old the son of More Than Ready won the Group 1 Champagne Stakes (1600m) at the track and distance before his three-year-old debut on August 20.
The colt finished fourth in the Group 3 Up & Coming Stakes (1300m) in a brave first-up run under a heavy impost of 61kg and will relish the huge drop back to just 50.5kg this afternoon with Kathy O’Hara booked for the light-weight ride.
Prized Icon is two-from-three on Soft going and finished third at Randwick in his only Heavy track start to date back in January.
The other most notable market mover now occupying the second line of the updated Chelmsford Stakes odds in from $10 to $2.80 is the John O’Shea-trained Hartnell, the import a dual placegetter from two starts on Heavy going.
The Godolphin galloper caught the eye first-up a fortnight back when he was second past the post behind Winx in the Group 2 Warwick Stakes (1400m).
Without his last start conqueror in the mix this weekend the Authorized six-year-old looks the value bet second-up getting out over a mile – a distance he has two wins and two seconds from six runs over to date.
Also now into single-figures backed in from $26 to $9 is Waller’s best chance of still taking out the Chelmsford Stakes this season, multiple Group 1 winner Preferment.
Tommy Berry rides the returning Zabeel stallion whose latest win was in the Group 1 The BMW (2400m) here in late March before his unplaced Queen Elizabeth run.
The five-year-old has trialled a couple of times since and will be better getting out over at least 2000m, but first-up fresh in a small field he can finish in the money without a worry.
Following closely on $10 are the fellow Waller-trained stablemates Who Shot Thebarman and Storm The Stars, before Waller’s former Sydney Cup winner Grand Marshal rounds out the betting backed in from $126 to $34.
Check out the full Chelmsford Stakes 2016 betting odds below, prices provided by Ladbrokes.com.au – home of Odds Boost (T&Cs apply).
