Sydney is host to a huge spring race meeting today, Saturday the 2^nd of October, with Epsom Handicap Day 2021 at Royal Randwick and below we take a look at the latest scratchings and track report ahead of the first.

Randwick Track Report – 02/10/2021

Australian Turf Club                    

• Rail: True
• Penetrometer: 5.09
• Weather: Fine
• Dual Track Meeting: N
• Track Type: Turf
• Track Rating: Good 4
• General Comment: Finalised 2/10 – 7:45am
• Irrigation: Nil
• Rainfall: 3.2mm last 24hrs, 8.8mm last 7 days

The weather in Sydney is for continued rain across the day following on from Friday night meaning there could be a downgrade to the current Good (4) Randwick track rating across the afternoon.

Randwick racing gets underway at 11:50am with the bumper 10-race card set to run until the last jumps at 5:20pm.

Punters are in for a massive seven Group status races including a hat-trick of Group 1s starting with the unraced two-year-old fillies facing off in the Group 3 Gimcrack Stakes (Race 2).

The colts and geldings are up next in the Group 3 Arrowfield Breeders’ Plate (Race 3) before one of the day’s most lucrative events runs as Race 5 at 2:10pm (AEST) with this year’s Group 2 Hill Stakes (2000m) offer $1 million in stakes.

The 2021 Hill Stakes field is down to seven with Verry Elleegant out in favour of a mouth-watering clash with Incentivise in Melbourne’s Group 1 Turnbull Stakes at Flemington today.

The Everest horses do battle in the next with the Group 2 $500,000 Premiere Stakes (1200m) markets led by Masked Crusader and where Bobbie Lewis winner Splintex (2) is the notable scratching.

The first of the elite levels is the Group 1 $750,000 Flight Stakes (1600m) for the three-year-old fillies running as Race 7 at 3:25pm.

Flight Stakes 2021 betting at Ladbrokes.com.au is led by Rob Heathcote’s late entry Startantes, while the widely-drawn Yearning (15) and Fangirl (12) have been withdrawn.

The meeting’s marquee race is slated for 4:05pm with a star-studded field gathered for the Group 1 $1.5 million Epsom Handicap (Race 8) over the mile.

The 2021 Epsom Handicap field features all 17 original acceptors with markets led by the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained George Main runner-up Riodini.

The day’s staying feature follows with the Group 1 $750,000 The Metropolitan to run over the mile and a half as the penultimate event on the program.

There are a number of 2021 The Metropolitan race scratchings including the Chris Waller-trained stablemates Shared Ambition and Kukeracha who instead face off in the Hill Stakes earlier on the card.

The reigning The Metropolitan champion Mirage Dancer is also out being saved for a run in the Group 2 Herbert Power Stakes at Caulfield next weekend in his swansong run before retiring to stud in Ireland.

Check out the full Randwick race scratchings and Epsom Handicap Day 2021 race times before heading to Ladbrokes.com.au for all the top spring racing odds and offers.

Randwick Scratchings – 02/10/2021

• Total Scratchings: 16

Race 1 (11:50am) – $100,000 Midway Handicap (1000m)

• No current scratchings

Race 2 (12:25pm) – Group 3 $160,000 Keeneland Gimcrack Stakes (1000m)

• No current scratchings

Race 3 (1:00pm) – Group 3 $160,000 Arrowfield Breeders’ Plate (1000m)

• #6 Narnia (5)

Race 4 (1:35pm) – $130,000 TAB Handicap (1600m)

• #5 Kordia (11)
• #9 Brookspire (7)

Race 5 (2:10pm) – Group 2 $1,000,000 Yulong Hill Stakes (2000m)

• #7 Verry Elleegant (7)

Race 6 (2:45pm) – Group 2 $500,000 ACY Securities Premiere Stakes (1200m)

• #2 Splintex (2)

Race 7 (3:25pm) – Group 1 $750,000 Darley Flight Stakes (1600m)

• #10 Yearning (15)
• #12 Fangirl (12)

Race 8 (4:05pm) – Group 1 $1,500,000 TAB Epsom (1600m)

• No current scratchings

Race 9 (4:45pm) – Group 1 $750,000 Heineken Metropolitan (2400m)

• #2 Shared Ambition (1)
• #6 Mirage Dancer (13)
• #11 Kukeracha (16)
• #21e Long Arm (14)

Race 10 (5:20pm) – $130,000 Cleanaway Handicap (1200m)

• #7 Marway (9)
• #8 Vulpine (12)
• #10 Never Talk (6)
• #13 Best Stone (8)
• #14 Quantico (14)

*All times quoted are local (AEST) and subject to change.