2022 Chipping Norton Stakes Day: Randwick Scratchings & Track Report

The Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival action continues in the wet at Royal Randwick today, Saturday February 26, with a rain-soaked edition of 2022 Chipping Norton Stakes Day and below we take a look at the latest Sydney race scratchings and track report ahead of the first.

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

Verry Elleegant is the headline horse on the 2022 Chipping Norton Stakes Day program in Sydney today. Photo: Steve Hart.

Randwick Track Report – 26/02/2022

Australian Turf Club

Rail: True
Penetrometer: 6.22
Weather: Showers
Dual Track Meeting: N
Track Type: Turf
Track Rating: Heavy 10
General Comment: Finalised 26/2 – 7:45am – Rider Replacement Race 1 No. 13
Irrigation: Nil
Rainfall: 35.2mm last 24hrs, 253.2mm last 7 days
Track Information: Further track inspection to take place between 8-9am

The weather in Sydney continues to be grim with a continuation of the heavy rainfall and thunderstorms that have wreaked havoc across the city the past week.

The current Randwick track rating is a Heavy (10) and there looks to be no chance of an upgrade as today’s meeting progresses making this a day for the genuine mudlarks.

Randwick racing gets underway at 12:25pm (AEDT) and, weather and track conditions permitting, the bumper 10-race program will continue through until 6:00pm (AEDT).

It’s a huge day of racing on the drenched Randwick course with six Group status races scheduled including a double-shot of Group 1 action and there are officially 39 scratchings across the meeting.

The first of the Group races is scheduled as Race 3 at 1:35pm (AEDT) with the two-year-old fillies facing off in the Gorup 2 Sweet Embrace Stakes (1200m).

The 2022 Sweet Embrace Stakes field is down to nine with the two scratchings headlined by #1 Coolangatta (5), the Ciaron Maher & David Eustace-trained Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner withdrawn due to the mud track.

The boys are next-up in the Group 2 Skyline Stakes (1200m) where the scratchings are: the widely-drawn #2 Calgary Stampede (17), one of the favourites #3 Sweet Ride (4) for Annabel Neasham, his stablemate #6 Nobel (16), #12 Hell I Am (11) and the only emergency #17e Custodian.

The Group 3 Liverpool City Cup (1300m) is set to jump at 2:45pm (AEDT) as Race 5 where the Waterhouse/Bott duo of #1 Alligator Blood (3) and Riodini (9) are both out along with: #4 Aramayo (7), #6 Chat (12), the pre-race favourite #9 Quantico (6) and #10 Superium (1) leaving just six hopefuls.

In Race 6 at 3:25pm (AEDT) the mares run in the Group 2 Guy Walter Stakes (1400m) and four are out leaving eight dominated by The Invitation winner Icebath who is proven in the conditions.

The first of the elite level races is the Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes running at 4:05pm (AEDT).

There are 2022 Chipping Norton Stakes scratchings with: #2 Kolding (7), #7 Maximal (1) and #11 Hungry Heart (10) all out.

Updated Chipping Norton Stakes betting at Ladbrokes.com.au is now led by the defending champion Verry Elleegant ($2.70) who is a proven wet-tracker and Godolphin’s mudlark mare Colette ($3.20) who is tipped to run a bolter on the Heavy (10).

The three-year-old fillies then run in the Group 1 Surround Stakes (1400m) at 4:45pm (AEDT) – if we’re still up and running!

The 2022 Surround Stakes scratchings are: Thousand Guineas champ #1 Yearning (2), #15 Ringarosa (12) and the first emergency #17e Von Trapp; and all the money is on the Waller duo of Espiona and Fangirl who ran two-one respectively in the Light Fingers last start.

See below for the complete list of Randwick Saturday scratchings and jump times for the Chipping Norton Stakes Day races before heading to Ladbrokes.com.au for all the best racing odds.