StableTalk

Barrier Trials ? I've never understood them and we don't have them up here.

I imagine the WINX vs REDZEL trial on Monday will draw a huge crowd to Rosehill. I suppose it would be like John Gosden having ENABLE and CRACKSMAN gallop together at Ascot or Newmarket.

WINX looks to be going the route you'd expect so races like the Chipping Norton and the Queen Elizabeth on the agenda before any decision on a trip to Ascot.

REDZEL has his own plans and one of the problems for the sprinters this year has been the unexpected scrapping of the Global Sprinting Challenge following the failure to resolve an on-going dispute between Australia and Hong Kong over quarantine procedures which has seen Australia slap a 6-month quarantine on horses imported from Hong Kong.

i cant get over they plan horses races around jockey
they won plenty money and will continue who ever up but is bowman that important or are they trying be careful for the record?
and actually i think if bowman cant ride in race why he riding track gallop,inconsistancies in rules and another rider is missing out on a fee

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If I'm Talking You Should Be Taking Notes

Even I could win on Winx's

WINX is 1/14 over here to win the Chipping Norton and frankly it'd be one of the shocks of the decade if she was turned over.

There are also indications from the betting market the Royal Ascot journey is on and she has been backed in Australia into 6/4 to win the Queen Anne.

She'd be hugely welcome here in June and it would really make the meeting if she were to strut her stuff on the Berkshire turf.

A stellar card at Rosehill for Golden Slipper Day. As to whether any 2-y-o race should be worth £1.15 million to the winner, well, I'll leave that to others.

GAILO CHOP (part owned by Francesca Cumani who braved the elements to commentate at Cheltenham last week) looks the likely winner of the Ranvet given the softer ground than was on offer at the Australian Cup when the ex-French gelding was bested by HARLEM.

WINX is 1-10 to win the George Ryder and at least this time has a serious opponent in KEMENTARI and if you were trying to work out what kind of horse would or could end WINX's streak the profile would be similar to KEMENTARI, an improving 3-y-o who was a strong winner of the Randwick Guineas.

I fancy WRITTEN BY in the Slipper though that's hardly an original choice. It's perfectly possible softer ground may bring one of the bigger price horses into contention. Some over here fancy SEABROOK at 8s but if you fancy him, you have to consider FIESTA and at 20s he's much better value.

The Galaxy looks a typically competitive Aussie sprint race and I offer SNITTY KITTY as no more than a suggestion. I note ENGLISH has first-time blinkers so he may be worth a squid or two at 12s.

I quite like Kementari but whether he's good enough to beat Winx is the question. I won't be putting $$$ on it and even the value in a quinella is questionable.... Nah

Seabrook?? Fiesta?? I see both as possibles but
Written By has won on a heavy track but.... That's another race I won't be putting $$$ on.

I thought WINX did it well. I suspect 1400m on slow ground doesn't play to her strengths and HAPPY CLAPPER is no mug so overall something better than earlier campaign outings.

One step nearer Ascot - well, perhaps. I can see why the Queen Anne is the target rather than the Prince of Wales but it's a straight 1600m which can seem almost like 2000m. FRANKEL excelled at the trip but there's nothing anywhere near that quality up here at present. With the likes of CHURCHILL, RIBCHESTER, MINDING and BARNEY ROY all at stud the older miler division looks weak.

I suppose you have the likes of LIMATO who might fancy a tilt at 1600m but it's hard what else there is out there at this time. Yes, there may be a champion in the 3-y-o but they don't go in the Queen Anne. Up to 2000m for the Eclipse risks meeting the 3-y-o and one or two better older horse such as CLOTH OF STARS and DECORATED KNIGHT.

Disappointing to read this morning WINX won't be coming to Ascot this June or indeed going anywhere outside Australia.

Some very kind and impressive words from her connections to sugar the bad news somewhat and clearly they've given it a lot of thought but the problem is they know, as I know, she's probably not as good as she was - the word "twilight" gets mentioned - and I'm wondering if they will try to win the fourth Cox Plate and if she does that will be the end of the road.

The risk is going to the well too often - I suspect the Australians think BLACK CAVIAR ran well below her best when she came to Ascot but I'd point out the jockey's antics mistaking the winning post didn't help and the second, MOONLIGHT CLOUD, turned out to be a champion in her own right - and were WINX to come over here and flop it would send out a very bad signal for future contenders.

Racing needs its champions and the arguments used about WINX now could have applied to FRANKEL in his day. I'd have loved to have seen him travel for the Cox Plate in 2012 instead of having his final run in the Champion Stakes. Had FRANKEL gone to Moonee Valley and won the big race no one would have been in any doubt then or now.

It's about risk and reward - would defeat in Australia have blunted FRANKEL's reputation ? Would defeat in England blunt WINX's ?

She'll be wonderful broodmare soon - perhaps she'll meet FRANKEL then, who knows ?

I'm disappointed her Owners won't be gracing Ascot this summer but perhaps, just perhaps, others will be brave enough to take up the challenge. HAPPY CLAPPER is a 7-y-o gelding and would take the travelling so much better. Why couldn't he come ? Perhaps because of the silly rules about some Group 1 races not being open to geldings but that's more an issue in France than Britain.

The opening Saturday of the Autumn Championships meeting at Randwick looks a quality afternoon of top class racing with four Group 1 races.

The Inglis Sires for the juveniles over 1400m looks wide open with the horses with the best form having the worst of the draw. SEABROOK has gate one and has a huge chance though has just under two lengths to find with OOHOOD. I think TCHAIKOVSKY will go and ADANA looks a big price at 14s.

The Australian Derby also looks wide open. A number of these ran behind D'ARGENTO (of whom more anon) in the Rosehill Guineas a fortnight ago. TANGLED and VIN DE DANCE have obvious claims as does FURORE and it's entirely possible the places will be completely different over an extra 400m. I suppose the fact ACE HIGH is by High Chaparral offers the most likely staying potential but it's anybody's race in my view.

The T J Smith over 1200m looks a quality event. REDZEL is hopefully coming to Ascot in June and he looked good over 1000m four weeks ago. He won the inaugural Everest and was just touched off in the Lightning after a 14-week break. He faces the new rising sprinting star, IN HER TIME, who won the Galaxy over 1100m last time beating ENGLISH. I narrowly favour REDZEL.

The Doncaster Mile is one of Australia's great historic races and carries a pot of £1 million to the winner. The 3-y-o D'ARGENTO won the Rosehill Guineas last time but comes here instead of the Australian Derby and has no weight. He's not drawn well but will get every inch of this trip.

HAPPY CLAPPER and KEMENTARI were second and third to the mighty WINX last time but I fancy the latter to come out on top.

Another huge Saturday of racing at Randwick as the Championships continue.

Star turn will of course be WINX in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes over 2000m but this is no penalty kick for the champion mare even though she's 1/6 in the UK. HAPPY CLAPPER won the Doncaster Mile last time but that's his trip and while he beat HUMIDOR comfortably that time the latter ran well against WINX in the Cox Plate last year and is entitled to be on the premises.

GAILO CHOP won the Ranvet and as his owners include one Francesca Cumani, there'll be plenty of noise on the tv racing from Liverpool if this one lowers WINX's colours but I can't see it.

SUCCESS DAYS is a multiple Group winner in Europe but she's much better on slower ground.

That leaves AMBITIOUS who was a decent horse in Japan mixing it with the likes of NEOREALISM, KITASAN BLACK and MAURICE in his time. He had a long lay off and came to Australia at the turn of the year did nothing in his first run but last time was second to ALMANDIN (of whom more anon) in the 2400m Tancred with GAILO CHOP in fourth. Back 400m in trip will be a big plus and he could just be the one to run down WINX if there is any question about her stamina over this trip.

She should win but if there is a race and a field tailor made to bring her down this could be it.

One of the other features is the Sydney Cup which looks the autumn equivalent of the Melbourne Cup and the weights are headed by a former Flemington star in ALMANDIN who returned to form in the Tancred last time. There are two I like in opposition - ALOFT has no weight and was trained in Europe by none other than Aidan O'Brien for whom he won the Queen's Vase at Ascot in 2015.That was a long time ago but he won a Listed race over 2600m at Flemington last time and will enjoy the extra running.

The other fascinating runner here is PRESTWICK or PRE STWICK as he will be officially because there's another horse with the name running elsewhere in Australia. Stayers from Japan don't get much attention but they have plenty of races and PRE STWICK was third to the top Japanese stayer ALBERT over 3600m in December. Joao Moreira has flown in to do the steering and that's another big plus as is running right handed which this horse loves. He's a big price but has a real chance.

UNFORGOTTEN looks the likeliest winner of the Australian Oaks while the Legacy is wide open and SPANISH REEF is no more than a tentative choice.