7 Stakes Field Update: #8 Pericles has been scratched with trainer James Cummings not yet testing the horse at weight-for-age and instead keeping him ticking along for a shot at the $1.5 million Epsom Handicap on September 30.
The inaugural running of the $1 million 7 Stakes (1600m) headlines the racing action on The Shorts Day at Royal Randwick on Saturday and the event shapes up as a top showdown between Zaaki and Fangirl.
2023 Winx Stakes winner Fangirl is one of the favourites for the inaugural 7 Stakes race this weekend in Sydney. Photo: Steve Hart.
Trainer Chris Waller prepared eight of the past 11 winners of the George Main Stakes race that previously took place at the meeting offering an Epsom Handicap ballot exemption.
This year the George Main has moved to The Everest Day on October 14 and will be known as the Group 1 $5 million King Charles III Stakes (1600m).
In its place on Saturday’s Sydney race card is the unlisted weight-for-age 7 Stakes, the field for which features a top line-up of Epsom hopefuls.
Waller saddles up three of them led by his last start Group 1 Winx Stakes winning mare Fangirl.
Fangirl has the early love from the punters firming into outright favouritism at $3.30 in 7 Stakes betting at Ladbrokes.
She jumps from out in barrier 10 of 12 with Kerrin McEvoy coming aboard in place of James McDonald as J Mac recovers from an injury sustained from a race fall on Wyong Cup Day.
The now five-year-old daughter of Sebring took advantage of the Anamoe-less Winx Stakes to return to Group 1 winning form fresh on August 19, and she looks well-positioned to go back-to-back stepping up to a mile this weekend.
Her main danger is the veteran WFA hero Zaaki who doesn’t know how to run a bad race despite being a nine-year-old.
The Annabel Neasham-trained import is at 7 Stakes odds of $3.90 to win second-up off his third fresh in the Winx Stakes.
The dual Mackinnon Stakes champion has amassed just shy of $10.4 million in career prize money and will enjoy the 1600m having a strong strike-rate at the distance (11:3-2-2).
He has plenty of Randwick form (7:2-2-1) and a lovely record second-up (9:4-0-2) so ticks plenty of boxes as he prepares to jump from gate six with Chad Schofield riding.
Donning the No. 1 saddlecloth in the star-studded 7 Stakes field paying $6 to win is the Kerry Parker-trained Think It Over who is third-up off a lengthy break in gate two with Nash Rawiller in the saddle.
The eight-year-old son of So You Think was sixth fresh only 1.46 lengths off Fangirl in the Winx Stakes before running third to shock winner Navajo Peak in the Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) here on September 2.
He has the advantage of that extra run and more fitness as he looks to turn the tables on Fangirl.
Think It Over also has previous winning form over Zaaki having defeated him narrowly in a boil-over at Randwick in April’s Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) run in April of 2022 in the wet.
Rounding out the hopes under $10 for the win in the current markets at $7.50 is the in-form Pericles chasing a third win on the trot this prep.
The James Cummings-trained Street Boss four-year-old was a first-up Spring Preview winner at Rosehill with 59.5kg before putting a length on Skyman at Randwick two weeks ago saluting in the Group 2 Tramway Stakes (1400m) ahead of his big test this weekend.
The 7 Stakes 2023 runs as Randwick Race 7 at 3:25pm (AEST) on the 10-race Sydney card.
2023 7 Stakes Field & Barriers
| No | Last 10 | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Probable Weight | Penalty | Hcp Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1x14241x63 | THINK IT OVER | Kerry Parker | Nash Rawiller | 2 | 59kg | 120 | ||
| 2 | 3341x217x3 | ZAAKI (GB) | Annabel Neasham | Chad Schofield | 6 | 59kg | 117 | ||
| 3 | 820x77114x | ARAPAHO (FR) | Bjorn Baker | Ms Rachel King | 9 | 59kg | 112 | ||
| 4 | x16x6026x6 | MY OBERON (IRE) | Annabel Neasham | Regan Bayliss | 3 | 59kg | 109 | ||
| 5 | 0x121735x4 | ZEYREK (FR) | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | Andrew Adkins | 5 | 59kg | 107 | ||
| 6 | 01x93186x0 | DIAMIL (IRE) | John O’Shea | Tom Sherry | 7 | 59kg | 105 | ||
| 7 | x3223180x5 | HOO YA MAL (GB) | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Adam Hyeronimus | 4 | 59kg | 104 | ||
| 9 | 562x3227x1 | FANGIRL | Chris Waller | Kerrin McEvoy | 10 | 57kg | 114 | ||
| 10 | 13x121x0x9 | GOING GLOBAL (IRE) | Chris Waller | Dylan Gibbons (a) | 1 | 57kg | 111 | ||
| 11 | 58x26844x4 | HINGED | Chris Waller | Brett Prebble | 8 | 57kg | 108 | ||
| 12 | 4x694341x8 | FIREBURN | Gary Portelli | Jason Collett | 12 | 56.5kg | 101 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
