Press Statement heads a capacity field of sixteen plus one emergency when the final acceptances were taken today for the Group 1 $1m BECK Caulfield Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield on Saturday.
Press Statement heads the field for the Caulfield Guineas. Photo by Steve Hart.
A win by Press Statement on the weekend could take trainer Chris Waller’s 2015 – 2016 Group 1 wins to an early season five wins with the premier Sydney stable firing on all cylinders from the start of the new season.
Waller trained fourteen Group 1 winners last season and is well on the way to surpass that mark with his Group 1 winners flowing this season.
Boban took out the $400,000 New Zealand Bloodstock Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield, Kermadec won in the $500,000 Colgate Optic White George Main Stakes (1600m) at Randwick and last weekend’s Group 1 winners were Winx in the $1m The Star 150th Epsom (1600m) at Randwick and Preferment in the 1 $500,000 Yellowglen Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington.
Press Statement is also a Group 1 winner, taking out the $600,000 BMW Australia J.J. Atkins (1600m) at Doomben during the 2015 Brisbane Winter Carnival.
Press Statement heads to Caulfield on the back of a win over Shards and Rageese in the Group 2 $200,000 Dyldam Stan Fox Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill on September 26.
The John O’Shea trained Shards and Team Hawkes’ Rageese are also acceptors for the Caulfield Guineas.
Jockey Hugh Bowman was aboard Press Statement at Rosehill and will have the reins again on Saturday.
The in-form Bon Aurum will give trainer Ciaron Maher a great chance to win his first Caulfield Guineas after the three year old won the Listed $120,000 Pin & Win Stakes (1400m) at Flemington on September 12 followed by a win in the Group 3 $175,000 BECK Caulfield Guineas Prelude (1400m) at Caulfield on September 26.
Kerrin McEvoy was aboard Bon Aurum and gets the ride again in the Caulfield Guineas.
Peter Moody will be represented by Bassett who is stepping up sharply in class after an impressive win in an $80,000 1100m three year old at Caulfield on September 19.
The lightly raced Bassett is a winner of two of his three race starts with Daniel Stackhouse in the saddle and the young hoop will be trying to keep his winning record on the gelding intact on Saturday.
Sovereign Nation burst into Caulfield Guineas calculations with a win in the Group 2 $200,000 Jeep Stutt Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley on October 2.
Michael Walker will team up again with the David Hayes and Tom Dabernig trained colt following the pair’s victory in the Stutt Stakes.
Hayes and Dabernig will also saddle up More Than Ready colt More Than Most in the Caulfield Guineas.
