This Saturday will mark the return of our Group-winning colt SESAR in the Group 2 Roman Consul Stakes at Randwick.
SESAR (pictured) tackles the three-year-old sprint first-up since his unlucky fourth in the Group I JJ Atkins (1600m) during the Brisbane winter carnival.
A heavy track is never an ideal surface for a horse at the start of a preparation however the son of Sebring brings a strong formline to the table on Saturday with the JJ Atkins quinella of The Autumn Sun and Zousain also filling first and second in the Group I Golden Rose last month.
Trainer Steve O’Dea has plans to take SESAR further south following Saturday’s assignment provided he runs well enough to justify the trip.
Proven Thoroughbreds is set to have three other runners at Randwick’s Saturday meeting, all of which are proven in rain-affected going.
The Joe Pride-trained ARGENT D’OR is well placed in the 1200m BM78 and will appreciate getting back onto a heavy track as he searches for his fifth career win.
Stablemate TAMARACK is also a good chance of returning to the winners’ circle in the 2000m BM78. The son of Redwood is at peak fitness now and comes back in grade from a BM88 event over the same distance at Rosehill where he finished a close third.
READABEEL, trained by John Bateman, contests the Highway Handicap over 1600m – a distance the mare has been crying out for this preparation. More importantly, the heavy track will be to her liking as her only win to date came on a heavy (9) at Wagga.
Meanwhile at Doomben Saturday, O’Dea saddles up MASTERATI in the 1200m 0MW and stable veteran REALLY REILLY in the 1650m BM85. The former is coming off a third at the Sunshine Coast two weeks ago while the latter is on the quick back up from a luckless run over the 2000m at Doomben.
Then on Sunday stablemates HI ZERO and SIENNA ROSE are set to run at the Sunshine Coast in the 1200m Maiden and 1000m C1 respectively. However, HI ZERO, which has drawn barrier 18, could be saved for Ipswich’s Wednesday meeting.
Another horse down to run on Wednesday is GAMBLESTOWN at Warwick Farm. The son of Darci Brahma has been nominated for the 1600m BM76 Handicap though he’s not partial to rain affected ground.
The lightly-raced SHOW ME THE HONEY could be withdrawn from Saturday at Kembla Grange, as it is currently a heavy (10) track, to run in a 1200m C2 at Wyong on Thursday.
Proven Thoroughbreds’ trialists in the week ahead amount to four – BROOK MAGIC, ROMALETTE, FIGHT FOR LOVE and INVINCIANO – all of which will feature for the Pride stable in the Warwick Farm trials on Monday.