Last year’s hard luck story Dixie Blossoms is tipped to atone with a win this weekend with the Ron Quinton-trained mare leading the Coolmore Classic 2018 field and wide open betting market for Saturday’s Rosehill feature.
Dixie Blossoms heads the 2018 Coolmore Classic field and odds for Sydney’s Group 1 at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday. Photo: Steve Hart.
It is a star-studded field of fillies and mares engaged for this weekend’s edition of the Group 1 $600,000 Coolmore Classic (1500m) that features a near capacity line-up of 19 hopefuls.
After coming up trumps with barrier four, which produced last year’s winner Heavens Above (2017), it is Street Sense five-year-old Dixie Blossoms sitting top of the Coolmore Classic odds at Ladbrokes.com.au.
She is at a current quote of $7 to become just the third Coolmore Classic favourite since 2009 to salute for the punters and comes off a first-up win in the Group 2 Guy Walter Stakes (1400m) at Randwick a fortnight back.
Last Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival Dixie Blossoms won the Guy Walter before things went amiss with her 13th in the Coolmore Classic from a wide barrier.
Having won the same lead-up she now looks to make amends in this year’s Coolmore Classic having drawn far better for dual Melbourne Cup winning hoop Corey Brown who comes aboard for the ride.
Brown replaces Christian Reith in the saddle and rides Dixie Blossoms for the first time since her very close third to Shoals in Flemington’s Group 1 Myer Classic (1600m) last November.
Randwick horseman Ron Quinton is dually represented in the Coolmore Classic field again this year also accepting for Daysee Doom.
Fourth in the Coolmore Classic results in 2017, the ultra-consistent daughter of Domesday did not fare as well in the barriers coming up with a wide gate 14 draw.
No Coolmore Classic winner has jumped from a double-digit barrier since Typhoon Tracy (2990) and Alverta (2010) went back-to-back from barrier 14.
Like her stablemate, Daysee Doom comes off a lead-up win having saluted at the Rosehill track on February 24 in the Group 2 Millie Fox Stakes (1300m) and she is at $11 in Coolmore Classic betting to salute again.
Following Dixie Blossoms in the markets meanwhile are four other single-figure fancies including the $7.50 second elect Egg Tart for Sydney’s best Chris Waller.
Draw barrier three and last seen running a length back fourth to Crack Me Up in the Group 3 Liverpool City Cup (1300m), Sebring four-year-old Egg Tart is looking to return to her previous Group 1 winning form.
As a three-year-old she won the Group 1 Schweppes Oaks (2010m) – Group 1 Queensland Oaks (2200m) double but hasn’t saluted since her victory in the latter last June.
Last year’s Coolmore Classic winner Heavens Above is out to go back-to-back in the race for the first time in history, the Tim Martin-trained Street Cry six-year-old scoring a big upset at 25/1 in 2017.
She is at a similar blowout price again this weekend paying $21 after her last start sixth to Daysee Doom in the Millie Fox Stakes.
The two placegetters in the Coolmore Classic trifecta last autumn, Silent Sedition (2nd) and Danish Twist (3rd) are also back again this Saturday.
Silent Sedition is an $8 fancy, while Danish Twist is a $51 roughie.
Prepared by Andrew Noblet in Victoria, War Chant five-year-old Silent Sedition is racing in Sydney for the first time since her fourth in the Group 1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m) at Randwick last April and comes off a lead-up Caulfield win in the Group 3 Mannerism Stakes (1400m).
Check out the full Coolmore Classic 2018 field and betting markets courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au below.
