Australian Bloodstock director Jamie Lovett said connections would be thrilled to simply run fourth or fifth behind superstar mare Winx at Royal Randwick this Saturday in the 2017 Queen Elizabeth Stakes with their roughie import Singing.
French import Singing (outside) is one of two 2017 Queen Elizabeth Stakes hopes for last year’s winning trainer Kris Lees. Photo: Steve Hart.
It cost owners a $15,000 final acceptance fee to get the Kris Lees-trained French import into the eventual nine-horse field for this year’s $4 million Group 1 Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m).
Of course all the rage in Queen Elizabeth Stakes betting at Ladbrokes.com.au is Chris Waller’s heroic daughter of Street Cry Winx who chases win number seventeen on the trot.
Winx is into $1.90 favouritism as the champion gets out over the 2000m for the first time since securing back-to-back Cox Plate trophies in Melbourne during the spring.
Lovett and co know that they won’t be scoring racing’s biggest upset with a Queen Elizabeth Stakes win on the weekend and the team aren’t even sure they’ll be racing for second with Singspiel seven-year-old Singing.
That said, the stallion is guaranteed to double the acceptance fee with a minimum $30,000 in prize money on offer in the below capacity field.
“It’s exciting for the owners,” Lovett told the Newcastle Herald.
“The acceptance fee is $15,000 so we’re guaranteed to double our money, but let’s hope we run into a lot more money than that.
“I don’t think we’ll run second but if we can run fourth or fifth even, it’s a decent cheque.”
Winx is set to take home $2.34 million for connections on Saturday, adding to her already incredibly impressive career earnings of $10,438,930.
Saturday’s Queen Elizabeth Stakes runner-up and third placegetter will receive $760,000 and $400,000 respectively, while prize money for fourth is also generous at $180,000.
Newcastle trainer Lees, who prepared last year’s Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Lucia Valentina, is dually represented in Saturday’s QE Stakes field also saddling-up Sense Of Occasion in barrier four with former Melbourne Cup winning jockey Corey Brown to ride.
The bookies have all but written off Singing who is at triple-figure Queen Elizabeth Stakes odds of $201 with Sam Clipperton to ride from the outside alley, while Sense Of Occasion is at $81.
A consistent son of Street Sense, Sense Of Occasion comes off a first-up third to It’s Somewhat in last weekend’s Group 1 Doncaster Mile (1600m).
He carried only 52.5kg in that race and rises to 59kg for the weight-for-age Queen Elizabeth second-up on Saturday.
Singing meanwhile comes off a dead last when eleventh first-up to the subsequent Doncaster Mile winner in the Group 2 Ajax Stakes (1500m) on March 11.
Check out the full Queen Elizabeth Stakes 2017 betting odds and offers online now at Ladbrokes.com.au and back Winx to make history at the best price.
