Triple Melbourne Cup winning jockey Glen Boss has been booked to pilot progressive Kiwi raider Summer Passage in Saturday week’s 2017 Ladbrokes Caulfield Guineas field.
Glen Boss has been confirmed to ride Summer Passage in Saturday week’s 2017 Ladbrokes Caulfield Guineas field. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
The Group 1 $2 million Ladbrokes Caulfield Guineas (1600m) steals the show in Melbourne on October 14, while in Sydney Racing NSW launch the inaugural edition of the $10 million The Everest (1200m).
Boss has picked up a Ladbrokes Caulfield Guineas ride on the Lance O’Sullivan & Andrew Scott-trained New Zealand youngster Summer Passage as the hoop chases a second win in the mile feature.
Boss rode God’s Own to victory in the race back in 2005 for the late Bart Cummings from the outside barrier (12 of 12) and looks on a livewire chance in the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival feature again in 2017.
Snitzel colt Summer Passage has had six runs to date for two wins and three seconds, including a Group 1 over 1200m back across the Tasman as a two-year-old in mid-March.
As a juvenile the colt travelled down under and lined-up in the wet at Randwick on April 1 during ‘The Championships’ finishing under a length back second to Invader as a $15 outsider in the Group 1 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m).
Australian hoop Blake Shinn rode Summer Passage to victory in the Group 1 sprint at Ellerslie, while Zac Purton was aboard for the Sires’ Produce in Sydney.
This season Summer Passage has had two runs in Melbourne with Mark Zahra in the saddle both times, but unavailable for the Group 1 already booked to ride rival Catchy.
First-up the galloper looked to hate the straight Flemington track racing very wayward, but still managing to cross within three lengths of Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes winning filly Catchy in the Group 2 Danehill Stakes (1200m) when eighth.
Relishing the return to the corner at Caulfield and the step-up in distance last Sunday, Summer Passage caught the eye when a length second behind Perast in the Group 3 Ladbrokes Caulfield Guineas Prelude (1400m).
He has now firmed into an $8 single-figure hope in the latest all-in Caulfield Guineas odds at race sponsor Ladbrokes.com.au.
The Tony McEvoy-trained Royal Symphony ($4) remains top of the futures Ladbrokes Caulfield Guineas betting markets despite suffering his first loss when unplaced in the Prelude.
A winner of his four earlier career starts, Domesday colt Royal Symphony could only manage to run fourth in the traditional lead-up into the Group 1, but McEvoy remains convinced he can bounce back.
“Disappointing on face value but I think when we dissect the race it was a very good performance,” McEvoy told Racing Victoria.
“He was a long way off them.
“Dwayne’s suggesting maybe a little tinker with some gear, maybe a set of winkers to keep the colt focused but out to the mile is going to very good.
“Don’t give up on him, he’s still very much a live chance in the final.”
The Lindsay Park-trained Catchy was also the beaten favourite on Sunday at Caulfield in the Group 2 Thousand Guineas Prelude (1400m) when a half-length off the winner Booker.
She will still take on the colts and geldings in the Ladbrokes Caulfield Guineas though and occupies the second line of the futures markets at $5, equal with the Godolphin-raced Kementari who ran third in the Caulfield Guineas Prelude.
The Paul Perry-trained Perast meanwhile is at a double-figure quote of $10 to do the double for the first time since Helmet (2011).
Check out the latest Ladbrokes Caulfield Guineas 2017 odds now at Ladbrokes.com.au ahead of the Group 1 on October 14.
