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News.com.au
25-04-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Randwick inside mail: Sydney race looks ideal for Ducasse after draw dents Brisbane bid
Golden Slipper-winning trainer Michael Freedman is hopeful his decision to keep the in-form Ducasse in Sydney is rewarded with victory in the Precise Air Handicap (1500m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday. Freedman had Ducasse entered for the $300,000 Listed Brisbane Mile (1600m) at Eagle Farm but when the gelding drew barrier 17 he decided to race for half the prizemoney at Randwick. 'We kept Ducasse in Sydney because of the wide barrier he drew at Eagle Farm,'' Freedman confirmed. 'He seems to be in good order and the rain around won't hurt him, either. 'Randwick is his favourite track and this is about his best distance so potentially this race sets up nicely for him.'' TAB price assessors agree with Ducasse the $4.40 favourite to continue his form surge this autumn. Ducasse resumed with a strong win over 1400m at Rosehill then ran competitively at stakes level in successive starts when fifth to Iowna Merc in the Group 2 Ajax Stakes before a close third to Just Folk in the Group 3 Doncaster Prelude. • Ray and Duff's Randwick tips: Best bet 'jumps out at me' Freedman, who prepared Marhoona to win the Golden Slipper during the Sydney autumn carnival, also has emerging three-year-old Colophon as the $4 favourite for the NSW Bookmakers Co-Operative Handicap (1400m). Colophon comes to Randwick after a monstrous win at Kembla Grange when he led throughout and put a margin of more than five lengths on his chasing rivals. But Freedman does have concerns about the rain-affected track conditions and doesn't want Randwick to get much worse than its current Soft 7 rating. 'I need to keep an eye on the track conditions,'' the trainer explained. 'Colophon once ran on a Heavy 9 and wasn't at his best. 'He'll run on the proviso the track stays in the soft range. If he gets a track that is suitable then he is quite a progressive young horse and might earn himself a ticket to Queensland if he keeps going the right way.'' • Import has class to win but Kent Jr still wary Freedman will be at Eagle Farm where he has the superbly-bred Seascape chasing stakes success in the Listed $160,000 Mick Dittman Plate (1000m). Seascape, who is by super sire I Am Invincible out of the Group 2 winner Adrift, has won three of her nine starts including her recent Kensington win a month ago. 'With her pedigree we are hoping to get some black type,'' Freedman said. 'It is just a shame she has drawn off the track but she is going well.'' â– â– â– â– â– RANDWICK BIG BETS AND MARKET MOVERS RACE 4: Zealously $2.30-$1.90 after a bet of $2000 at $2 RACE 5: Saganti $4.60-$3.40 RACE 6: Lisztomania $4.60-$3.90, Piastri $8-$5 RACE 9: Colophon $8-$3.90, Engine Room $6-$5 RACE 10: Know Thyself $3.50-$2.30 EARLY QUADDIE RACE 3: 3, 6, 9, 15 RACE 4: 1, 6 RACE 5: 4, 5, 7, 8 RACE 6: 3, 6, 8, 10 QUADDIE RACE 7: 1, 2, 8 RACE 8: 2, 3, 5, 13 RACE 9: 3, 9, 10, 15 RACE 10: 1, 2, 8 PRICE CHECK SUNRISE (race 2) has been a significant shortener with TAB after the scratching of early favourite Photographics. Sunrise, who set a course record to win at Kembla last start, was $2.80 but is now into $1.90 favouritism. Zealously (race 4) has also shortened from $2.30 to $1.90 after a bet of $2000 at $2. SECTIONAL STARS SUNRISE (race 2) produced a stunning comeback effort at Kembla Grange over 1000m last month, leading throughout to win by more than seven lengths and stopping the clock at a track record-breaking 55.58sec. She ran her final 600m in a flying 32.23sec. KNOW THYSELF (race 10) was able to sustain a strong final 600m sprint to win the Country Championships Final. Despite being caught three-wide albeit with cover, then forced even wider on the turn, Know Thyself ran his final 600m in 34.28sec including a closing 200m sectional of 11.61sec to score a narrow but impressive win. Never doubt yourself! A finish for the ages in the Country Championships Final, and Know Thyself wins it by a whisker for @Paulmessara and @LGavranich with @Aaronbullock90 aboard! ðŸ'� @aus_turf_club | @WorldPool — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 5, 2025 TRIAL POINTERS PASSEGGIATA (race 4) has looked more like her old self racing away to successive barrier trial wins by big margins in recent weeks. She romped home by four lengths from classy mare Olentia in a 900m Rosehill heat then ran her rivals ragged to win by more than five lengths at Warwick Farm over 822m. She hasn't won for nearly two years but looks to be coming up really well for this preparation, she's drawn the rails and handles rain-affected going. WOOTTON VERNI (race 8) won five of his nine starts in France including a Group 3 in France. He's had two barrier trials for new trainer Chris Waller and was particularly impressive at Warwick Farm last week when he came from near last, hugged the rail and finished strongly for second behind the speedy Oh Diamond Lil. Champion jockey James McDonald rode Wootton Verni in his latest trial and sticks with the horse for his Australian debut. BEST BET ZEALOUSLY (race 4) raced through his grades late last year with three successive wins, leading throughout and winning by comfortable margins. He was then given his chance in The Sunlight and ran very well for fourth behind subsequent Group 1 winner Private Harry back in January. Zealously resumed at Warwick Farm earlier this month and trailed leader Wondereach into the straight, ranged up to win but could not get past his race-fit rival, losing narrowly. Zealously will be fitter for that run and is not badly treated at the weights after the claim. He looks placed to advantage. What a finish! 😮 Wondereach salutes by a nose to grant the @mcsmithracing stable a double! ✌ï¸� — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 2, 2025 VALUE BET INVADER ZIM (race 6) is resuming but he invariably sprints well fresh as he showed at his last two comeback runs with both second placings at Randwick. Last winter he endured a wide run and was unlucky not to have won over 1300m on a heavy track then last December he was first-up at 1200m and beat all but Disneck who was in rampant form. Invader Zim handles wet tracks and is over the odds around $12.
News.com.au
25-04-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Victorian trainer Gavin Bedggood praying Brisbane's big wet continues for wet-tracker Just Folk
Victorian trainer Gavin Bedggood has been performing a rain dance this week as he prepares veteran gelding Just Folk for the $300,000 Brisbane Mile at Eagle Farm on Saturday. The wet weather continues to plague South East Queensland this week, not that Bedggood will mind at all, with a heavy track this weekend a distinct possibility. TAB was offering a 'crazy price' of $9 on Wednesday for topweight Just Folk to win the Brisbane Mile, behind Port Lockroy ($4.40) and local mare Miss Joelene ($4.60). But with the rain tumbling down in Brisbane, that price had plummeted to $5.50 for Just Folk on Friday morning. 'If that track is proper heavy, you wouldn't get many better wet-trackers in Australia than him,' Bedggood said about Just Folk. 'You go through his form card, on heavy ground it's seven starts for three wins and two placings and on soft ground he's had 17 starts for five wins and eight placings. 'Then you look at his good form and he's 23 starts for two wins and three placings. 'He's not the same horse on a good surface and at the level he's racing now, he needs things to suit and that's why he's made his way to Brisbane.' Just Folk finished a disappointing 17th in this month's $4m Doncaster Mile at Randwick, in a race won by Stefi Magnetica, but Cranbourne trainer Bedggood was willing to forgive that result. 'He was very good winning the Doncaster Prelude (at Rosehill over 1500m on April 1) when they went along at a good gallop and they got wet conditions (Soft 7 track),' he said. 'In the Doncaster it was a drying track and they went very slow. He was going low 11s the day he won (the Prelude) but they were running sub 12s in the Doncaster Mile. 'On drying ground in that class of race he needs to run up to his best but the race wasn't run to suit him whatsoever.' Bedggood said Just Folk would also contest the $500,000 Group 2 Hollindale Stakes (1800m) on the Gold Coast on May 10, which was a 'line-in-the-sand' run for whether he pushes on to the Group 1 $1m Doomben Cup (2000m) two weeks later or goes to the Group 3 Lord Mayor's Cup (1800m) on May 31 which he won last year at Eagle Farm. Ryan Maloney, who triumphed in the 2024 Brisbane Mile on Mighty Ulysses for Annabel Neasham, will ride Port Lockroy, who finished ninth in the Doncaster Mile. Neasham trains four-year-old stallion Port Lockroy in partnership with her now husband Rob Archibald, with the power couple tying the knot on Thursday. Cejay Graham will be hoping to make it back-to-back victories on Miss Joelene, who won impressively on a soft track at Doomben over 1350m on April 16. 'It's not ideal but not much you can do about it when they keep calling off races (due to the rain),' trainer Kelly Schweida said about the quick turnaround for his mare. 'She needs to keep improving. You'd seem to think a Caloundra Cup (over 2400m on July 5) would suit her but I don't know. 'It's so hard because every time you pick up a paper and listen to the radio, there's another (star southern) horse coming through to all the big races. 'I'll take it step by step but she can run the trip and she can handle soft ground. That helps but her (winter carnival) program will depend on what horses are coming up.'
