Danny Williams’ autumn revelation Shelby Sixtysix has gained a run in Saturday’s Group 1 $700,000 The Galaxy (1100m) with Splintex withdrawn from the feature sprint on Golden Slipper Day.
Magic Millions Snippets winner Isotope returns as favourite in the 2022 The Galaxy this Saturday in Sydney. Photo: Steve Hart.
Following the official withdrawal of the Mark Newnham-trained top-weight Splintex (58kg), first emergency Shelby Sixtysix will line-up from a favourable barrier four draw chasing another upset win at Rosehill Gardens.
Getting in on just 52.5kg the in-form Toronado is on the quick back-up after his good win at the track and distance in last Saturday’s Group 3 Maurice McCarten Stakes (1100m).
The run before, the gun mudlark backed-up from a Highway Class 2 win to run past Nature Strip (3rd) at 50/1 and finish second in a photo behind Eduardo in the Group 2 Challenge Stakes (1000m).
With another rain-affected track for The Galaxy and dropping weight, Shelby Sixtysix looks genuine value at $12 through Ladbrokes.com.au to go to another level again.
Clear favourite in The Galaxy betting is the resuming Tony Gollan-trained Magic Millions Snippets winning mare Isotope.
The four-year-old daughter of Deep Field has finished out of the top two just twice in her 11 career runs and is brilliant fresh with an excellent first-up record (4:3-1-0) ahead of the weekend.
First-up at the track last autumn she atoned for losing her rider in the Magic Millions Guineas to win the Listed Darby Munro Stakes (1200m).
She tracks a similar path this year, but there was a better result on Magic Millions Day, and Kerrin McEvoy partners the $3.90 favourite in her Group 1 test.
The early The Galaxy market mover backed in from $11 to $8 is the Ciaron Maher & David Eustace-trained four-year-old Away Game in gate six with Linda Meech booked for the ride.
Third to Isotope in the Magic Millions Snippets, the class Snitzel mare has had the benefit of another run when finishing a close third only a half-length behind her undefeated stablemate Marabi in the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m) in Melbourne on Blue Diamond Day.
Despite a capacity The Galaxy field, just one other runner is also under double-figures for the win with the rails-drawn Overpass ($9.50).
The Vancouver colt has been in excellent form this campaign starting with his victory over subsequent Canterbury Stakes winning mare Forbidden Love – favourite for Saturday’s George Ryder Stakes – fresh at Rosehill in the Group 2 Expressway Stakes (1200m).
He was second to Lost And Running in the Group 3 Southern Cross Stakes (1200m) next-up at Randwick before a last start Flemington win down the straight in the lucrative Inglis Sprint (1200m) on March 5.
Overpass carted 59.5kg to victory from barrier 13 of 13 there and looks a huge hope for trainer Bjorn Baker in The Galaxy coming back to 56kg.
He is out to join Russian Revolution (2017) as the only other The Galaxy winning three-year-old since the back-to-back victories by Shellscrape (2010) and Nicconi (2009).
Newnham is still in with a chance saddling-up the new top-weight Big Parade ($11) fresh in gate nine, while Godolphin’s first-up Eskimo Prince Stakes winner Paulele ($10) has work to do from the outside barrier.
The 2022 The Galaxy is set to run as Race 9 at 5:20pm (AEDT) as the penultimate event on the Rosehill card for Saturday.
