Chris Waller’s resuming Group 1 winner Funstar dominates the Show County Quality 2020 field and odds at Randwick on Saturday after confirmation she will run in the Group 3 over a tougher assignment in the Winx Stakes.

Chris Waller’s classy mare Funstar runs favourite first-up in the 2020 Show County Quality on Saturday in Sydney. Photo: Steve Hart.
Waller has opted to stick with the original campaign kick-off for his daughter of Cox Plate winner Adelaide, Funstar scratched from the Group 1 $500,000 Winx Stakes (1400m) in favour of an easier run earlier on the card.
Keeping the four-year-old to 1200m first-up, Waller has the proven mudlark getting her spring underway in Randwick Race 5 on Saturday where she starts favourite in the Group 3 $160,000 Show County Quality (1200m).
Drawn in barrier seven of 11 for the handicap clash, Funstar carries 56.5kg in the form of jockey James McDonald as she runs for the first time since her second to Con Te Partiro in the Group 1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m) at the track back in April.
Funstar chases her first victory since winning the Group 1 Flight Stakes (1600m) last October by over three lengths as the odds-on favourite and gets conditions to suit on a Heavy track fresh this weekend.
Despite rising in weight, Funstar sits top of the Show County Quality odds at $2.70 and firming through Ladbrokes.com.au.
Occupying the second line of betting at $6 is the Kris Lees-trained Special Reward ($6) out wider in barrier 10 for jockey Brenton Avdulla.
A consistent son of Demerit, Special Reward races first-up having gone out a back-to-back Group 3 winner in Sydney from the autumn saluting at Randwick in the Southern Cross Stakes (1200m) followed by a home track win in the Newcastle Newmarket Handicap (1400m).
Lees also saddles-up the 61kg topweight Le Romain, the multiple Group 1 winner and wet track specialist looking tremendous value at $21 against this field.
Third elect at current Show County Quality odds of $6.50 is the James Cummings-trained Roheryn presenting fit third-up for Godolphin, the Lonhro five-year-old up in grade following a second to Eduardo in Rosehill’s Listed July Sprint (1100m).
Wild Planet is being kept safe in betting at $8 with Tommy Berry to ride the Hawkes Racing-trained galloper, an eye-catching fourth to Streets Of Avalon in February’s Group 1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) in Melbourne, first-up from gate four.
Chasing a third win on the trot and a big mover in the market backed in from $16 to $9.50 is Glen Boss’s mount Inanup, the seven-year-old dropping notably in weight having enjoyed wet-track wins in two Benchmark 88 events this prep.
Also in the mix are Jamie Richards’ Group 1 Surround Stakes winner Probabeel ($11) who defeated Funstar home in that event over the autumn and Peter & Paul Snowden’s last start Ramornie Handicap winner at Grafton Signore Fox ($26) in barriers two and three respectively.
Click here for the current Show County Quality 2020 betting markets courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au.
2020 Show County Quality Field
No | Last 10 | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Probable Weight | Penalty | Hcp Rating |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 6x30x30x4x | LE ROMAIN | Kris Lees | Regan Bayliss | 1 | 61kg | 111 | ||
2 | 11x56x211x | SPECIAL REWARD | Kris Lees | Brenton Avdulla | 10 | 58kg | 105 | ||
3 | x211x2142x | FUNSTAR | Chris Waller | James McDonald | 7 | 56.5kg | 106 | ||
4 | 22x111228x | PROBABEEL (NZ) | Jamie Richards | Kerrin McEvoy | 2 | 56.5kg | 106 | ||
5 | x1515x0801 | SIGNORE FOX | Peter & Paul Snowden | Jeff Penza | 3 | 54.5kg | 98 | ||
6 | x231x7410x | WILD PLANET | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | Tommy Berry | 4 | 54.5kg | 98 | ||
7 | 116832022x | LOOKS LIKE ELVIS | Jarrod Austin | Glyn Schofield | 8 | 54kg | 97 | ||
8 | x41125x211 | INANUP | Jarrod Austin | Glen Boss | 9 | 54kg | 91 | ||
9 | 013x0x470x | I AM SUPERMAN (IRE) | Peter & Paul Snowden | Tim Clark | 11 | 53.5kg | 93 | ||
10 | 58x1275x12 | ROHERYN | James Cummings | Jason Collett | 5 | 53kg | 92 | ||
11 | 5214×23235 | SOUTHERN LAD | John O’Shea | Ms Rachel King | 6 | 53kg | 92 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.