We’re well and truly in the thick of the Autumn Racing Carnival, and if the on-track action and storylines we saw at Rosehill are anything to go by, we are in for another dead-set thriller with our two Group 1s, the Tancred and the Vinery Stud Stakes.
The Group 1 action kicks off in race 6 with the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes for our 3-year-old fillies. Our headline performer is, without a doubt, Oaks-winning filly Treasurethe Moment, who makes her Sydney debut. The possibility of a heavy track is our only question mark for this current short-priced favourite, but if her form is anything to go by, Matt Laurie could be bagging his seventh win on the trot with this filly. Joining her in the Yulong colours is the Waller-trained Moving Out, who came on to finish well in the Phar Lap Stakes first up, up in distance and with JMAC aboard—that’s two ticks from us. One to have our eyes on is Verona Rose, who has been touted by the Portelli yard. Currently undefeated, albeit in softer company if her win in the Group 3 Kembla Grange Classic is anything to go by (bonus points for her pedigree), she will be delighted with the 2000m.
An interesting edition of the 1 Tancred this year for our breeding nuts, with not a single locally-bred horse in the final field. William Haggas and Tom Marquand are back with well-deserved favourite Dubai Honour returning to Aussie soils. Currently sitting at two wins from two starts in Sydney, with wins in the Gr. 1 Ranvet & Gr. 1 Queen Elizabeth in 2023, we know he loves it here; the mile and a half is his go, plus he’ll only relish the rain around. Close behind him is the king of redemption, Vauban, who won back punters’ hearts, saluting in the G.r. 3 Sky High Stakes first up for his new team with a list of gear changes.
