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Tips by Brad Gray

Tips and insights for Royal Randwick including the Sydney Cup. There are winners to be found for ten races!

Silence wasn’t overly fancied on debut at Newcastle but he got the job done over the 900m dash despite travelling wide the trip. It was a win full of merit and he is in the right camp with the Snowdens to add to build further on his two-year-old record. The son of Foxwedge should be able to park somewhere just behind leader which will be dominant favourite Debonairly. Expect Silence to have come on plenty from his maiden victory and at the early $7 quote with TAB, he is worth a punt.

Danger: The Waterhouse and Bott-trained Debonairly has won two of her three starts including a four-length romp at the provincials to kick off her campaign this time around. She’ll bounce out and make her own luck and although she is a talent and hard to beat, she appears very short at odds-on.

How to play it: Silence WIN

Silence winning on debut at Newcastle

Tessera is a real wildcard here. The son of Medaglia d’Oro returns a gelding and is the class runner of the field having won the Group Three Canonbury as a two-year-old. Another couple of boxes he ticks is the wet track (4:2-1-0) and that he has three trials under his belt. He lumps 61kg but doesn’t look too badly in, giving away only 1.5kg to the likes of I Thought So and Twist Tops. When he resumed last campaign he was beaten 4.8L in the Run To The Rose behind Astern and Star Turn in the wrong part of the track. He should get a very cosy run from the inside gate and Kerrin McEvoy could ride a rocking to victory the way he is going.

Danger: I Thought So has the makings of a very talented galloper. He threw away the Gosford Guineas last start with his wayward manners. That saw him marched off to the trials by the stewards where he let down nicely to suggest he is still right in the zone. He loses Hugh Bowman to suspension which is a major negative given how raw the colt is and has drawn barrier 8 which doesn’t make the job of Tim Clark any easier.

How to play it: Tessera WIN

Tessera tackled the Run To The Rose first-up last campaign

Egg Tart was the original tip but has been scratched. Her stablemate Oklahoma Girl won a sit and sprint at Warwick Farm last start and this race has a similar feel with the lack of an obvious leader. She simply had the best turn of foot and despite settling last, it made little difference in the end. She was second-up straight to the mile too so it’s reasonable to assume she’ll come on again here.

Danger: Sizzling Bullet was outclassed in the Rosehill Guineas. He has been freshened since and Chris Waller is very good at bringing horses back from 2000m to the mile (Foxplay most recently!). He handles the wet and will be strong late. Can settle handier from bairrer 2 as well.

How to play it: Oklahoma Girl WIN

Oklahoma Girl's last start win

Richard Of Yorke was beaten comprehensively at Bendigo last start but Hans Holbein is a pretty handy stayer from the Lloyd Williams camp and there was a huge margin back to third. Prior to that Richard Of Yorke romped in at Sandown over the 2400m. The five-year-old has been up for a while but is showing no signs of training off, in fact he has probably never raced better. He slips into the field right down the bottom with 54.5kg, gets the services of Kerrin McEvoy and he should have no trouble dictating this race from the outset. Chris Waller is a master of winning this type of staying event.

Danger: The two Melbourne visitors Survived and Youl Dash For Cash are not without knockout hopes. Survived battled on quite well in the Albury Cup behind Green Sweet which reads well for this while Youl Dash For Cash was only beaten 6.75L in the Mornington Cup last start and won the Stony Creek Cup prior to that.

How to play it: Richard Of Yorke WIN

Survived ran fourth in the Albury Cup

Like A Shot resumed off a month freshen at Warwick Farm and after tailing off out the back, worked home very nicely behind the likes of Pianissimo and Pound Sterling. That’s a strong form reference for a Highway Handicap and would have been be the blowout he needed heading towards this 1400m assignment. The last time we saw him over the 1400m trip he paired off with Super Star Bob at Canberra and was only nutted on the line. Should box seat from barrier 1 and get his chance in the straight.

Danger: Barbass was a very classy two-year-old highlighted by a Randwick second splitting Skylight Glow and Acatour. Cameron Crockett has made no secret of the fact that he has had his issues hence he has been off the scene for 10 months. He has had four trials and the blinkers go on. You have to respect him despite the big task at hand.

How to play it: Like A Shot WIN

Like A Shot’s last start fourth at Warwick Farm

Broadside was never on the track first-up at Warwick Farm, running three-wide the trip outside of the leaders. He didn’t do a bad job to finish as close as he did all considered. He drops 3.5kg from the run and although this is slightly tougher grade, it’s a winnable race for him. He should be able to hold the front from the inside draw and he is a fighter so is bound to be figuring in the finish. Has only raced at Randwick once before beating Olympic Academy. Being an ex-Kiwi he also ploughs through the wet (5:3-0-0).

Danger: Grand Dreamer gets in with just 53kg and the form of this Caulfield-trained six-year-old is rock solid. There has been plenty of early support in betting for him too. My Psychiatrist was an eye-catcher fresh and although she’ll be at her peak third-up out to 2000m, she gets the blinkers back on here and can still figure over the mile.

How to play it: Broadside EACH WAY

Broadside’s forgettable first-up run

Nieta is explosive when she is fresh and her trials suggest that she’ll produce another sizzling finish on Saturday. She can run home in very sharp sectionals. The 1000m dash is perfect for her and drawn the middle, Blake Shinn should be able to have her stalking a few pairs back. Highly Geared and Super Maxi will ensure enough tempo for her to assert her dominance. The last time we saw her she was a very brave second to Kuro at Listed level in the Starlight when posted wide the trip. The wet track won’t slow her down either. Looks the winner.

Danger: Super Maxi doesn’t know how to run a bad race and he’ll keep finding from out in front with 54.5kg. Expect a really bold showing off the back of a strong win, and a deserved one too, at Warwick Farm. Prior to that he wasn’t far off Glenall. Sir Bacchus mixed his form last campaign but he also flies fresh (4:2-1-0) and in his latest win he beat subsequent Newmarket winner Redkirk Warrior.

How to play it: Nieta WIN

Nieta’s gutsy Starlight effort

Here we are again for the Sydney Cup! Only a handful of runners completed the two miles the first time around with Polarisation unofficially prevailing. That has to count for something. He just kept coming and coming at the finish. He was originally going to run in the Chairman’s before a minor setback so don’t penalise him for having the extra gallop before the Sydney Cup. It could play right into his hands. History says as much too, with internationals having a lead up run in Australia all the better for it. He’ll be handy to the speed from the middle draw. The stable said it best this week when Charlie Appleby quoted that Polarisation “wears his heart on his sleeve”. With Lasqueti Spirit running along you’ll want a tough stayer.

Danger: Big Duke has had the unconventional preparation of tackling the Sydney Cup via the Launceston Cup. However, Darren Weir is a genius at maintaining the form of a horse that has been up for a long time. He was primed to tackle the race on the back-up after winning the Chairman’s so there’s a slight query now with the gap between runs. Must respect fellow international Penglai Pavilion.

How to play it: Polarisation EACH WAY

Big Duke’s win in the Chairman’s Handicap

Supply And Demand hasn’t been seen since early March but he has had two trials since to keep him ticking over. When we last saw him he led at Warwick Farm on a heavy track and bolted in. The two starts prior to that he was very good too. Josh Parr has been with him all preparation and tipping he’ll be keen to dig him out from barrier 4 and take up the running again. He shouldn’t have too much competition for the front with Lazyaxl likely to tuck in just behind him and Melbourne visitor Moss ‘N’ Dale happy to sit on his outside.

Danger: Pianissimo wasn’t expected to win first-up over 1200m given the price he started. He really hit his straps second-up last campaign out to 1400m so expect him to come on from the win which has him thereabouts again from the soft gate. Dreamforce put the writing on the wall at Newcastle but he has a sticky draw to contend with and is unknown on wet tracks.

How to play it: Supply And Demand WIN

Supply And Demand at Warwick Farm last time out

Via Napoli strung a couple of wins together at the back end of her last campaign and the secret seemed to be putting her in the race. Expect Kerrin McEvoy to be positive form barrier 3 and sit just in behind one or two. She has trialled twice for her return and although they were both very quiet making it hard to get a line on her, what she did do is display terrific gate speed on both occasions. Note that the last time we saw her she was beaten only by last week’s JRA Plate winner Top Of My List.

Danger: Stablemate Gretna finally won another race when she led at Warwick Farm last start. The blinkers came off there and she dictated from the front and never looked in danger. She’s likely to take plenty of confidence from that. Given how dominant she was there, it’d be a surprise to not see Tommy Berry attempt to take up the running again from the wide gate.

How to play it: Via Napoli EACH WAY

Via Napoli’s second to Top Of My List

All the fields, form and replays at Randwick on Saturday