Edward Cummings’ last start Australian Cup winning mare Duais is dominant favourite to secure another Group 1 win returning to Sydney this weekend in the $1.5 million Tancred Stakes (2400m) at Rosehill Gardens.
Duais is favoured to win Sydney’s Tancred Stakes 2022 this weekend off her Australian Cup victory at Flemington. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
There is a top-class field of weight-for-age stayers engaged in this year’s Tancred Stakes and Duais is the one to beat paying $2.90 through Ladbrokes.com drawn well mid-field in barrier seven for jockey Joshua Parr.
It was a lovely return to form from the four-year-old daughter of Shamus Award who atoned for two unplaced runs at Randwick this prep to dominant the Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington by two lengths.
Still improving and sure to appreciate the extra distance getting up to a mile and a half on Saturday, Duais chases the Australian Cup – Tancred Stakes double for the first time since Preferment (2016).
“For a stayer she possesses a turn of speed which is quite impressive,” her jockey Parr told The Sydney Morning Herald this week.
“I don’t see the trip (2400m) being a problem for her because she is such a relaxed mare.
“She has a real efficient stride and what I mean by that is that when she finds her rhythm, she can cover ground really easily and it feels effortless.
“It will be testing 2400m with the rain predicted, it will be a heavy track, but I have full confidence in her ability to run the trip strongly.”
Success for the punters in the Tancred will set Duais up nicely for her long-range autumn plan getting into the Group 1 $2 million Sydney Cup (3200m) on April 9 at Royal Randwick with 51kg.
The two gallopers she beat home in the Australian Cup trifecta last start, Think It Over (2nd) and Spanish Mission (3rd), present as the dangers again in the rematch.
Peter Moody’s imported stayer Spanish Mission, third when still officially European-trained to Verry Elleegant in last November’s Melbourne Cup, is into $4.20 to turn the tables on Duais and shrug his place-getter status down under.
The American-bred son of Noble Mission has had four runs in Australia finishing top four but without a win to date and looks on the improve getting out over a more suitable distance in the Tancred.
The Kerry Parker-trained Think It Over is the $4.60 third elect and presents fit fourth-up chasing a second win this campaign following his Group 2 Apollo Stakes (1400m) victory fresh.
Fourth after that only 1.37 lengths off Verry Elleegant on a Heavy (10) in the Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) before the Australian Cup second, the distance is something of a query for the six-year-old this weekend.
He does have a great strike-rate at Rosehill however and his last run at the track produced a win in the $750,000 Rosehill Gold Cup (2000m) carrying 61kg last October.
For value there are a number of other runners in the mix coming via different lead-ups including Joe Pride’s last start Group 3 Sky High Stakes (2000m) winner at the track Stockman, multiple Group 1 Kiwi raider The Chosen One back down under for the first time since his Melbourne Cup fifth in the spring and Ranvet Stakes third placed Angel Of Truth for Team Hawkes.
Angel Of Truth was also third two back in the Chipping Norton before his distant placing behind Montefilia in the Group 1 Ranvet Stakes (2000m) last Saturday.
History shows that from 2006 – 2021 ten Tancred Stakes winners came via the Ranvet Stakes and Angel Of Truth is the best out of that race backing-up this weekend.
The 2022 Tancred Stakes is scheduled as Rosehill Race 7 at 3:55pm (AEDT) on Saturday’s bumper 10-race card.
