Group 1 Black Caviar Stakes Headlines Nice Weekend of Racing
Rival Racing jurisdictions Victoria and New South Wales offer all the Group racing for the weekend coming.
It is hard to say whether Racing Victoria or Racing NSW hold the edge.
Flemington is scheduled to hold the Group 1 Lightning Stakes and two Group 3 races. Randwick has two Group 2s and two Group 3s.
The Group 1 Lightning Stakes (1000 m, w.f.a.) has a light field. Just seven are confirmed and drawn, reminiscent of the days when the others holed up in their stables at Randwick to avoid Winx.
Loving Gaby ($6) has the weight advantage. As a three-year-old, she will carry 53.6, five kg. less than favourite Nature Strip ($1.55). She has won at Group 1, the Manikato Stakes at Moonee Valley, but it was Nature Strip that beat her, quite handily, by 3.25 lengths when the two lined up in the Group 1 VRC Classic at Flemington in November 2019.
The 5kg. weight advantage does not mean a lot over 1000 metres. She held a 7 kg. advantage in the VRC Classic and Nature Strip basically left her standing in the barrier.
Redzel is in the field. The two-time winner of The Everest could retire today and never have to lift a hoof for the rest of his life. The Everest of 2018 was his last significant win and in 2019 he ran eighth in The Everest and has won only the Group 3 Concorde Stakes in his lead-up preparation to last year’s The Everest. He did beat Nature Strip in that race.
We are not in the predicting business, we are guessers only, but we would think the winner would come from one of those three.
Gytrash ($11) is in the field and nothing we have seen seems to supply justification for his quote, with no wins above Listed.
Tofane ($21), Despatch ($35) and I Am Excited ($51) round out the field.
Tofane is resuming after winning two Group 3s last spring and she seems to be comfortable at Flemington, but to win, she will have to beat some top horses.
Thanks to Sportsbet for the quotes.