2021 George Main Stakes Day: Randwick Scratchings & Track Report

The Sydney Spring Racing Carnival action continues at Royal Randwick today, Saturday September 18, with George Main Stakes Day 2021 and below we take a look at the latest scratchings and track report ahead of the first.

Verry Elleegant Horse Form (Photo: Steve Hart) | Races.com.au

Verry Elleegant is the hot favourite in today’s Group 1 Sydney feature – the George Main Stakes 2021. Photo: Steve Hart.

Randwick Track Report – 18/09/2021

Australian Turf Club

Rail: +7m 1600m-W/Post,+4m Remainder
Penetrometer: 5.42
Weather: Overcast
Dual Track Meeting: N
Track Type: Turf
Track Rating: Soft (5)
General Comment: Finalised 18/9 – 7:45am – Rider Replacements Races 3, 4, 5 & 9
Irrigation: Nil
Rainfall: Nil last 24hrs, 27mm last 7 days

The weather in Sydney today is partly cloudy but otherwise fine following overnight showers meaning there is unlikely to be a downgrade to the current Soft (5) Randwick track rating.

Randwick racing gets underway at 11:40am (AEST) and the bumper 10-race card continues through until the last at 5:15pm (AEST).

Punters are treated to a host of Group races across the afternoon starting with the Group 3 Bill Ritchie Handicap (Race 5) where star filly Harmony Rose makes her four-year-old debut.

The 2021 Bill Ritchie Handicap field is down to just nine after four scratchings including the top weight Archedemus (13) and the Queensland Oaks winner Duais (12).

Next up the Princess Series continues with a field of Group 1 Flight Stakes-bound fillies facing off in the Group 2 Tea Rose Stakes (Race 6) and Morioka (6) and Left Reeling (13) are the scratchings.

The meeting’s marquee race is scheduled as Race 7 at 3:15pm (AEST) with a star-studded field of weight-for-age runners engaged in the $1 million Group 1 George Main Stakes (1600m) led by Chris Waller’s odds-on favourite Verry Elleegant.

The excitement does not end there however with plenty of punters keen to watch The Everest preview with six of the runners in this year’s Group 2 The Shorts (1100m) including Nature Strip already confirmed for the $15 million event next month.

The 2021 The Shorts field is down to just eight starters with the Peter & Paul Snowden-trained Wild Ruler (8) to be saved for next Friday night’s Group 1 Moir Stakes at The Valley.

The Group 3 Kingston town Stakes (Race 9) then rounds out the Black-Type racing with a just-under capacity field of potential The Metropolitan hopefuls engaged in a top edition of the 2000m showdown and where Laure Me In (13) is the notable withdrawal.

See below for the full George Main Stakes Day program, jump times and Randwick race scratchings before visiting Ladbrokes.com.au for the top odds this spring!