A field of exciting three-year-olds take to the Rosehill track on Saturday in the 2018 Phar Lap Stakes, betting tips and the latest odds for the Coolmore Classic Day clash detailed below.
Trainer Chris Waller chases his third win in four years with a trio of hopefuls lining-up in the 2018 Phar Lap Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday. Photo: Daniel Costello.
It is a smart line-up of 12 hopefuls engaged in this autumn’s Group 2 $200,000 Phar Lap Stakes (1500m), a race famously won by Winx in 2015.
The fillies saluted again last year with another Chris Waller runner Foxplay (2017) and on Saturday the bookies have Shumookh as favourite to beat home the boys.
The Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained daughter of Dream Ahead sits top of the Phar Lap Stakes odds at $2.70 through Ladbrokes.com.au and scratched out of a run against the older mares in the Group 1 $600,000 Coolmore Classic (1500m) in favour of this.
Shumookh comes off two very nice lead-ups including finishing under a length back for third to Shoals in the Group 1 Surround Stakes (1400m) on March 3, form that should see her put in a very competitive run against the colts and geldings here.
Team Hawkes’ lightly-raced gelding Renewal, also by Dream Ahead, is considered the danger at $7 having won his two lead-ups this campaign in easier company with all the upside heading into this.
The other best in Phar Lap Stakes betting include the Mick Price-trained Holy Snow ($7.50) out to atone for the last start Australian Guineas fifth at Flemington and Lindsay Park’s Snitzel colt Muraaqeb ($7.50) who ran sixth in the same Group 1 lead-up in Melbourne.
So will Shumookh have the boys’ measure or is there an upset Phar Lap Stakes result pending from the likes of Waller-trained market mover Calculated ($8.50) returning to racing off a two month freshen-up or even the stablemate Unforgotten who suffered a case of cardiac arrhythmia first-up when last in the Surround Stakes?
1st
#8 Shumookh ($2.70)
The fillies look as good if not stronger than the boys this season and think the move out of the Coolmore Classic into this will prove the right one by the stable. Gets things her way from barrier five and is back to 54.5kg after carting 56kg first and second up for her Light Fingers second to Alizee and third to Shoals in the Surround respectively. That form should hold up in this and she looks set to peak third-up and secure a deserved stakes win at her fifth career start. Tim Clark retains the ride and she’s a deserving favourite.
2nd
#9 Hiyaam ($15)
Really nice price offered on another class filly in the mix with the punters forgetting about Mick Price’s VRC Oaks third placegetter Hiyaam. She rounded out the Group 1 trifecta at Flemington last time out in November at a blowout price and can surprise again first-up. She’s won when resuming before and trialled in excellent fashion over 1550m for a 3.75L win at Cranbourne. Untested in Sydney but the Melbourne form in the spring was 10/10 and she can place fresh with flying hoop Michael Walker aboard from the wide barrier.
3rd
#10 Unforgotten ($12)
Tipping an all-filly trifecta with Unforgotten to round it out. Waller has won two of the past three editions of this race with fillies and gets the chance with this daughter of Fastnet Rock out for atonement. She suffered cardiac arrhythmia after running last in the Surround and Waller wouldn’t run her if she wasn’t ready to bounce back. Dual Rosehill winner from as many previous starts at the track and has also won over this distance, carrying 59kg by 2.5 lengths. She’s a definite Place chance.
Now is the time to back our insider Phar Lap Stakes 2018 betting tips at the right autumn racing odds online at Ladbrokes.com.au.
