Last start winner over the Randwick mile Acatour headlines a ten-horse field in the Frank Packer Plate 2017 back at the track this weekend as part of All Aged Stakes Day.
Carbine Club Stakes winner Acatour heads the 2017 Frank Packer Plate field at Royal Randwick on Saturday. Photo: Steve Hart.
Set to run as Randwick Race 3 at 1:15pm (AEST), this season’s $150,000 Group 3 Frank Packer Plate (2000m) shapes-up as a nice race for the Peter & Paul Snowden-trained son of Sebring Acatour.
The colt won the Group 3 Carbine Club Stakes (1600m) on April 1 by a runaway three and a half-length margin, so looks on track for a run over the 2000m on Saturday.
Acatour is drawn barrier two and has Blake Shinn retaining the ride in the set weights clash.
Drawn the rails with in-form Sydney hoop Hugh Bowman in the saddle is the Chris Waller-trained Veladero who is also a Carbine Club Stakes graduate from Day 1 of The Championships.
The Group 1 performed son of Medaglia D’Oro finished third to Acatour last time out and gets the chance to finish right up there again extending over further distance.
Veladero last raced over Frank Packer Plate metres in the spring when fourth in the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) behind Yankee Rose and Randwick and fourth again this time to Sacred Elixir in the Group 2 Moonee Valley Vase (2040m).
Another top-three performer last time out is the Bjorn Baker-trained Captain Duffy, the King Cugat colt down in class for Saturday’s race.
Improving on a dead last (11th) in the Group 1 Randwick Guineas (1600m) in early March, the proven young stayer last raced at Rosehill on Golden Slipper Day in the Group 2 Tulloch Stakes (2000m).
There he ran a credible third behind tearaway winner Jon Snow, who backed-up and franked the form the next weekend with an ATC Derby win over the mile and a half.
Captain Duffy has winning form up to 2200m, having won last October’s Listed Geelong Classic from the outside barrier (16 of 16) in an upset as a $31 roughie.
An interesting addition to the Frank Packer Plate field this year is the Darren Weir-trained Kiwi import Mongolian Wolf racing for the first time since an unplaced run behind subsequent Rosehill Guineas winner Gingernuts in the Group 1 NZ Derby (2400m).
Also in the mix are the likes of Brent Stanley’s Carbine Club Stakes fourth placegetter Violate and James Cummings’ last start Wyong winner over 2100m by over three lengths Rokda Kasba.
See below for the complete Frank Packer Plate 2017 field, barriers and jockeys before heading to Ladbrokes.com.au to back your Randwick tips online at the right price.
2017 Frank Packer Plate Final Field & Barriers
Randwick Race 3 (1:15pm) – 15/04/2017
| # | Form (Last 10) | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Br. | Wgt. | Hcp. Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3x1135x781 | ACATOUR | Peter & Paul Snowden | Blake Shinn | 2 | 56.5kg | 86 |
| 2 | 11144×4883 | VELADERO | Chris Waller | Hugh Bowman | 1 | 56.5kg | 84 |
| 3 | 1408×1130 | MONGOLIAN WOLF | Darren Weir | Brenton Avdulla | 4 | 56.5kg | 78 |
| 4 | x96010x903 | CAPTAIN DUFFY | Bjorn Baker | Tim Clark | 6 | 56.5kg | 72 |
| 5 | 10×375 | ROCK AND SWING | James Cummings | Glyn Schofield | 10 | 56.5kg | 67 |
| 6 | x32828x644 | VIOLATE | Brent Stanley | Damien Oliver | 8 | 56.5kg | 67 |
| 7 | 89865×7145 | SCREAMARR | Anthony & Edward Cummings | Tye Angland | 5 | 56.5kg | 65 |
| 8 | 8×3261 | ROKDA KASBA | James Cummings | Kerrin McEvoy | 9 | 56.5kg | 62 |
| 9 | 7×6455 | KUNMING | Gary Moore | TBA | 7 | 56.5kg | 52 |
| 10 | 5x97x1305 | EERISED | Mitchell Kearney | TBA | 3 | 56.5kg | 49 |
