2022 Coolmore Classic Field & Betting Update: Espiona Clear Favourite

March 10, 2022

2022 Coolmore Classic Field & Betting Update: Espiona Clear Favourite

Espiona is tipped to break her Group 1 maiden status when she takes on the older mares in the wet in the 2022 Coolmore Classic at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.

Espiona | Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos | Races.com.au

Espiona is the filly to beat in the 2022 Coolmore Classic field this weekend. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

With the big wet continuing across New South Wales this week, the Rosehill track is at a Heavy (10) for the next Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival meeting headlined by the Group 1 $600,000 Coolmore Classic (1500m).

The Coolmore Classic field has already seen three scratchings at time of publish: Le Lude (14), Kiku (11) and Light Fingers winner Fangirl (5) instead racing against the boys in the Group 2 Phar Lap Stakes (1500m) on the same day.

With the latter two out from the Waller stable, the master trainer still has four remaining chances to take out the quality handicap for the first time.

His contingent is led by race favourite Espiona, the progressive Extreme Choice filly at $3.70 and firming in Coolmore Classic betting at Ladbrokes.com.au.

Well-backed in from an opening quote of $6.50, the three-year-old gets in on just 50kg with Jay Ford to ride the light-weight from gate four third-up.

After winning her opening two career starts in the spring including a six and a half-length Listed victory at Flemington on Oaks Day, Espiona has run in the money as the beaten favourite back-to-back in Sydney this prep.

First-up she was a devastatingly close second fresh behind Fangirl in the Group 2 Light Fingers Stakes (1200m) before her third in the Group 1 Surround Stakes (1400m) behind another top Waller filly, Hinged, on February 26.

Showing her versatility with the Light Fingers run on a Good (4) and the Surround a Heavy (10), Espiona is now tipped to win in the mud coming back six kilos and proven in the going.

She is out to break a notable drought for the fillies in the event with Typhoon Tracy the last three-year-old filly to beat the older mares in the Coolmore Classic back in 2009.

The other Waller runners in the feature are: the rails-drawn seven-year-old Polly Grey ($31) coming off a first-up second in the Group 3 Aspiration Quality from last Saturday, Savabeel four-year-old Atishu ($31) and his Surround Stakes champion Hinged ($7.50) chasing back-to-back Group 1 wins.

Worthy Cause filly Hinged has William Pike coming aboard for her third-up run of the autumn where she looks to become the first filly to do the Surround Stakes – Coolmore Classic double since Regal Cheer (2006).

Occupying the second line of Coolmore Classic betting at $6 is the ultra-consistent Mizzen Mast grey Lighthouse for Ciaron Maher & David Eustace.

Her past three runs have produced second place efforts, including in the Group 1 C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield behind Tofane and then in last Saturday’s Group 1 Canterbury Stakes (1300m) at Randwick behind Forbidden Love off an on-pace run.

Rounding out the single-figure fancies are the Mark Newnham-trained Makfi four-year-old Expat ($6.50) chasing a third win on the trot having won the Group 2 Millie Fox Stakes first-up at the track and the John O’Shea-trained Promise Of Success ($7) coming off successive Randwick seconds including in the Guy Walter Stakes behind Forbidden Love on a Heavy (10) last month.

The 2022 Coolmore Classic is set to run as Rosehill Race 8 at 4:40pm (AEDT) on Saturday and full markets courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au are available here.

2022 Coolmore Classic Field & Barrier Draw

No Last 10 Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight Probable Weight Penalty Hcp Rating
1 301117×554 KRONE Tony Gollan Chad Schofield 3 58kg 110
2 1195x013x2 POLLY GREY (NZ) Chris Waller Brenton Avdulla 1 56.5kg 107
3 45x41053x3 VANGELIC Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Tim Clark 17 56.5kg 107
4 55×1111222 LIGHTHOUSE (USA) Ciaron Maher & David Eustace Jason Collett 6 56kg 106
5 4x300x57x8 SHOUT THE BAR Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Regan Bayliss 15 56kg 106
6 4311Dx1911 EXPAT (NZ) Mark Newnham Tom Sherry (a) 10 54kg 102
7 24x0420x71 WANDABAA Kris Lees Tommy Berry 7 53.5kg 101
8 2111026×71 HINGED Chris Waller William Pike 12 52.5kg 100
9 1x141600x6 ATISHU (NZ) Chris Waller Ms Kathy O’Hara (late alt) 9 52kg 98
10 x055829x31 LE LUDE John Thompson 14 51.5kg 97
11 4141216×56 MIRRA VISION Peter & Paul Snowden Sam Clipperton 16 51.5kg 53kg 97
12 132x121x22 PROMISE OF SUCCESS (GB) John O’Shea Ms Rachel King 13 51kg 96
13 16x638x235 KIKU Chris Waller 11 51kg 93
14 016x0x46x3 YES BABY YES Leon & Troy Corstens Tyler Schiller (a) 2 51kg 51kg 88
15 11×23 ESPIONA Chris Waller Jay Ford 4 50kg 94
16 4x3111x15 FANGIRL Chris Waller Ms Kathy O’Hara 5 50kg 93
17 26326×3121 CAP ESTEL Anthony Cummings Quayde Krogh 8 50kg 69

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

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